Saudi Arabia and the United States, which act as mediators between the warring parties of Sudan in the Saudi city of Jeddah, announced on Thursday “the suspension” of the dialogue between the representatives of the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (FAR) for the “repeated violations” of the truce in force. “This decision was taken as a result of repeated serious violations of the truce in the short term,” both countries said in a joint statement.
They also denounced that the parties have also violated the agreement reached on May 29 to extend the truce in force for five days, which “has prevented the provision of humanitarian assistance and the restoration of essential services, which are the objective of the Stop the fire”.
The mediators recalled that, despite the fact that the talks are suspended, both the Army and the FAR “remain subject to their obligations” under an agreement reached in Jeddah on May 11 to protect the Sudanese civilian population, severely punished. by the conflict, which began on April 15.
In this sense, they pointed out that they have communicated to the belligerent parties “the steps they must follow to demonstrate a significant commitment” to the pacts previously reached. “Saudi Arabia and the United States stand ready to reconvene the Jeddah talks once the parties have taken the necessary steps,” the note said.
Both countries regretted the repeated violations of the ceasefire, although they acknowledged that the first one that was agreed allowed two million Sudanese to have access to humanitarian aid. However, the occupation of civilian homes, private businesses, public buildings, hospitals, and the shelling and artillery attacks have continued unabated, they denounced.
Faced with the repeated violations of the truce, the United States announced a series of economic and travel sanctions for senior officials of the Army and the FAR, which also affect the companies they control and use for military benefits.
The Sudanese Army already announced on Wednesday its withdrawal from the Jeddah talks by accusing the paramilitaries of violating the armistice, although the implications of this step were not clear.
The conflict in Sudan has left at least 850 dead and more than 5,500 injured, and has caused the internal and external displacement of more than 1.3 million people, according to the United Nations.
