SUDAN: The U.S.-Saudi initiative is the first significant effort to end fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has turned portions of Khartoum into war zones and thwarted a plan backed by the international community to usher in civilian rule.
The fighting in Port Sudan has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people, the injury of thousands more, disruption of humanitarian deliveries, and the emigration of 100,000 refugees.
Thousands of people are fleeing Port Sudan by taking boats to Saudi Arabia, paying for commercial flights, or taking evacuation flights. Both parties have clarified that they will only consider a humanitarian ceasefire and not negotiate an end to the war. RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo has confirmed his group’s presence and expressed optimism that the talks will successfully guarantee safe passage for civilians.
Hemedti has pledged to either assassinate or capture army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and there is evidence that neither side is willing to make concessions to end the killing. After the overthrow of Omar al-Bashir and a 2021 military takeover, Burhan is in charge of the ruling council, and Hemedti serves as Burhan’s deputy.
Hemedti had been making moves before the battle that suggested he had political intentions. Burhan has attributed the war to his “ambitions”. A nation located at the nexus of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and Africa’s volatile Sahel area has received support from Western nations for its transition to a civilian government. Jake Sullivan, the White House national security advisor, visited Saudi Arabia over the weekend to meet with Saudi officials.
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