Joe McConnell
New peace talks aimed at ending Sudan’s 16-month-old war have begun, despite one side in the conflict, the national army, refusing to participate.
The United States, which is facilitating the discussions, has insisted that the event must go ahead because the millions of people suffering in Sudan “cannot afford to wait.”
Clashes between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have caused thousands of casualties and forced an estimated 10 million people to flee their homes.
The army dashed hopes of a ceasefire deal by boycotting Wednesday’s talks, saying it would not attend because the RSF had not implemented “what was agreed” in Saudi Arabia last year.
The army said the RSF had failed to meet key conditions of the Jeddah Declaration, such as withdrawing its fighters from civilian homes and public facilities.
In a statement on the social media platform X, RSF said it had arrived in the Swiss city of Geneva for the talks and called on the military to “commit to meeting the democratic aspirations of the Sudanese people.”
The army also rejected the talks, as it opposes the presence of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), accused of supporting the RSF, as an observer.
In addition to the United Arab Emirates, delegates representing the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the African Union and the United Nations will be present.
According to the UN migration agency, tens of thousands of preventable deaths could result in Sudan if the conflict and restrictions on humanitarian aid continue.
The United States said the crisis had reached an unprecedented level of severity, with millions of people facing hunger and forced to move.
