PORT SUDAN, May 8 (NNN-SUNA) – Representatives of the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), have been in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah, for talks since Saturday, as fighting continues in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.
“We welcome the presence of representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF in the city of Jeddah, to engage in dialogue that we hope, will lead to the end of the conflict and the return of security and stability to the Republic of Sudan,” Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, said, on Twitter.
The U.S. and Saudi Arabia issued a joint statement welcoming the start of “pre-negotiation talks” between the two parties, urging both sides to “actively engage in the talks, towards a ceasefire and end to the conflict.”
On Saturday, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Commander of RSF, praised the regional and international efforts, to reach a ceasefire through social media and confirmed RSF’s participation in the talks in Jeddah.
On Friday, the Sudanese army said, it had sent negotiators to Jeddah, to discuss the humanitarian truce as part of the Saudi-American initiative.
According to local media, fighting continued in Khartoum’s capital on Saturday.
Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said, Türkiye decided to relocate its embassy in Khartoum, to Port Sudan, after the Turkish ambassador’s vehicle was targeted by gunfire.
The RSF and the army exchanged accusations over the incident. The RSF claimed, the area where the attack occurred was under military control, and reiterated its commitment to protecting diplomatic missions in the country. Conversely, the army attributed responsibility to the RSF, for the assault.
So far, the deadly clashes have left at least 550 people dead, and 4,926 others wounded, according to the Sudanese health ministry.– NNN-SUNA
