US says Sudanese army has ‘responsibility’ to join peace talks in Geneva

WASHINGTON

The US on Wednesday said Sudan’s army has a responsibility to join Washington-brokered peace talks in Geneva that started Wednesday without military the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) agreeing to participate.

“We have stressed that they have a responsibility to be there, and we’ll continue to make that clear,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.

Patel said there are a number of relevant countries who have a vested interest in seeing a cessation of hostilities in Sudan, and the US welcomes any country sharing that like-minded goal to participate.

He said Wednesday’s opening session in Geneva included international and technical partners, and representatives from Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE, the African Union and the UN.

“We are there with a laser focus on ensuring that the SAF (Sudanese Armed Forces) and RSF (Rapid Support Forces) comply with their Jeddah commitments. In the Jeddah declaration, both the SAF and RSF committed to expanding discussions to achieve a permanent cessation of hostilities,” noted Patel.

Sudan has been mired by fighting between the army, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the ruling Sovereign Council, also known as the SAF, and the RSF, led by his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

The situation remains dire amid a deadly conflict that has killed nearly 18,800 victims and displaced close to 10 million since April 2023, according to UN figures.

Organizers have said the talks could last up to 10 days at an undisclosed location in Switzerland. They are not open to the public.