US urges Sudanese Army Chief to join peace talks

WASHINGTON, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged the President of the Sovereign Council of Sudan and Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) General Abdelfattah Al-Burhan to participate in the ongoing peace talks in Switzerland to solve the Sudanese civil war. The US Department of State late Wednesday in a press release, said that Blinken underlined to Al-Burhan, over the phone, the critical importance of engaging in these talks to fully implement the Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan, which prioritizes the protection of civilians. During the call, he emphasized that the international community has come together in support of these negotiations, co-hosted by Switzerland and Saudi Arabia, to reach compliance with the Jeddah Declaration, a cessation of hostilities, humanitarian access, and establishment of a mechanism to monitor implementation. Blinken underscored the urgent need for both SAF and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to end the war and guarantee that humanitarian aid reaches millions of suffering Sudanese citizens. In a speech on Tuesday, Al-Burhan tied the cessation of hostilities to the withdrawal of RSF from the territories they currently control. The Jeddah Declaration, signed by both SAF and RSF, calls for civilian protection and safe passage out of war zones, yet both sides continue to blame each other of failing to uphold their international humanitarian law commitments, vital for civilian aid. Source : Kuwait News Agency