Sudan, Saudi Arabia discuss revival of peace talks to end civil war

Sudan and Saudi Arabia have held discussions aimed toward resuming talks to end Sudan’s ongoing year-long civil war, in renewed efforts to revive the peace talks.

Following the outbreak of the conflict in Sudan in April last year between the Sudanese military and the rival paramilitary militia, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), peace talks have constantly stalled and failed due to a number of issues, including the lack of cooperation between the warring parties.

Those efforts could soon be set for a revival, however, with Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council announcing in a statement that its Chairman, General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, held talks on Monday with Saudi Arabia’s deputy Foreign Minister, Walid Al-Khuraiji, on exactly that issue.

Held in Sudan’s eastern city of Port Sudan, the talks focused on resuming the Jeddah Platform negotiations, according to Sudanese Foreign Minister, Hussein Awad, who added that General Al-Burhan expressed the military government’s desire to make those talks successful as a basis upon which further negotiations and resolutions could develop.

Although Al-Burhan reportedly acknowledged the importance of expanding the base of mediators in the Jeddah talks, he also expressed reservations regarding the presence of any party supporting the RSF, which he condemned as a “terrorist insurgent militia”.

READ: The forgotten war in Sudan