The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan have been in a state of war since April 2023. An estimated 9,000 people have lost their lives in what has become one of the worst humanitarian crises on the African subcontinent in recent years. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, about 5.8 million people have been displaced internally and externally. The country is also battling a cholera outbreak which has claimed sixty-seven lives so far. The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, said on 25 October 2023: “The conflict has caused untold suffering in Sudan at a scale never seen before. Human dignity has gone out the window, and little is sacred anymore, not even hospital wards full of sick and wounded children. I implore the parties, yet again: end this terrible agony by silencing the guns.”
Now, there seems to be a glimmer of hope as the two sides recently accepted invitations organized by the United States and Saudi Arabia to resume negotiations. The peace talks will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and will be facilitated by the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development.
This is not the first time that peace talks between the two factions have been initiated. Earlier this year, talks were suspended as a result of several ceasefire violations by both sides in June. But this time, there are clear signs of fatigue and frustration on both sides. The war is costly and exhausting. The United States’ State Department confirmed that this round of talks will be dedicated to immediate needs like expanding humanitarian access and ensuring lasting ceasefires alongside other confidence-building efforts.
However, one must be cautiously optimistic. The two sides are yet to agree to a ceasefire, even a temporary one. This means that the fighting will remain, and innocent civilian lives will continue to be lost until a successful negotiation agreement is reached.