Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

3-minute read
02 November 2023 | 12:02 CAT

Image: Africa News

The Sudanese army and its rival paramilitary force resumed peace talks last week in a new push to end the nearly seven-month conflict between Sudan’s warring factions.

The revived talks between representatives from the Sudanese army, led by Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the Rapid Support Force paramilitary, commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, are underway in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah, the kingdom’s foreign ministry said in a statement. Both Riyadh and Washington are brokering the talks, the statement said.

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the army confirmed on Wednesday that they would participate in the talks.

Sudan was plunged into chaos in mid-April when simmering tensions between the military and the RSF exploded into open warfare in the capital, Khartoum, and other areas across the East African nation.

Strategic Communication Consultant and retired Media Relations Expert Khalid Dahab told Radio Islam International as the continued conflict intensifies, each side is going into negotiations in an attempt to consolidate its position for strength.

The conflict has reduced the capital, Khartoum, and other urban areas into battlefields, wrecking the country’s already dilapidated infrastructure.

The previous peace talks were held in Jeddah earlier this year but broke down in late June. Washington and Riyadh accused both sides of failing to abide by the cease-fire deals they had agreed to. Since April, there have been at least nine temporary cease-fire deals, and all have foundered.

“Both sides are now seeing that neither of them can win this conflict and have come back to the reality that this conflict is not going to result in a victor and a loser.” said Al Daham.

More than 9,000 people have been killed in the conflict, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project, which tracks Sudan’s war.

The fighting has driven over 4.5 million people to flee their homes to other places inside Sudan and more than 1.2 million to seek refuge in neighbouring countries, the U.N. migration agency says.

Listen to the full interview on The Daily Round-Up with Moulana Junaid Kharsany.