Sudan peace talks pushed by US to avert ‘point of no return’

The US is hoping for a relaunch of peace talks aimed at ending the civil war in Sudan and opening up humanitarian access soon after Ramadan ends in mid-April, Washington’s newly appointed envoy said today. Reuters pointed out that Saudi Arabia and the US led talks in Jeddah last year to try to reach a truce between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), but the negotiations faltered amid competing international peace initiatives.

“We need to restart formal talks. We hope that will happen as soon as Ramadan is over,” US special envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello told reporters. Perriello took up his role as late last month. “Everybody understands that this crisis is barrelling towards a point of no return, and that means everybody needs to put whatever differences [there are] aside and be united in finding a solution to the conflict.”

The army and the RSF began fighting each other in mid-April last year over plans for a new political transition and restructuring of the military. The two sides had staged a coup in 2021 that derailed a transition towards elections following the overthrow of autocratic ruler Omar Al-Bashir in a popular uprising two years earlier.

The fighting has pushed nearly 8.5 million people from their homes, creating the world’s biggest displacement crisis; pushed parts of the 49-million population close to famine; and triggered waves of ethnically-driven killings and sexual violence in the western region of Darfur.

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The army, which has recently regained some ground in the capital Khartoum, shunned an appeal from the UN Security Council for a ceasefire during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. “Every week we wait without a peace deal makes the potential for famine more protracted, and the atrocities that we know that have been documented continue,” said Perriello.

Talks could build upon efforts in Jeddah, Manama and Cairo and should involve African leaders, regional bodies and Gulf states, the envoy said. “This next round of formal talks should be inclusive. But it also has to be people who are truly serious about ending the war.”

Support from regional powers for rival factions in Sudan has contributed to fears of the country fragmenting and the war spilling over beyond its borders. The United Arab Emirates along with some African players have backed the RSF, according to UN experts, and Perriello has been asked about reported Iranian support for the army, which includes Islamist factions that grew strong under Bashir.

“We are hurtling right now towards a situation where more and more actors appear to be getting involved, where we could see a return of extremist elements that the Sudanese people with great courage and over much time had mostly eradicated from the area,” he explained.

Sudan’s army has not responded to requests from Reuters for comment on the alleged Iranian support.

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