Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
As part of renewed diplomatic efforts to halt the fighting in Sudan, officials from the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt, the so-called “Quad” group on Sudan are meeting separately on Friday in Washington with representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
According to a source familiar with the talks, the goal of the meetings is to secure a nationwide humanitarian ceasefire lasting three months, allowing for the delivery of much-needed aid to civilians trapped in conflict zones.
“The purpose is to apply unified pressure on both sides to agree to a three-month humanitarian truce that would enable humanitarian access,” the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters. “Members of the Quartet will meet each side separately in an effort to build trust and ensure both commit to halting the fighting.”
The Washington meetings follow a joint statement issued by the four countries in September, in which they called for an initial humanitarian ceasefire to be followed by a permanent cessation of hostilities and a nine-month transitional process toward civilian governance.
A Prolonged and Devastating Conflict
Sudan has been engulfed in a brutal war since April 2023, when tensions between the national army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (“Hemedti”), erupted into full-scale conflict.
The fighting has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced millions within and beyond Sudan’s borders, and triggered what the United Nations describes as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Despite repeated international mediation efforts led by the United States, Saudi Arabia, the African Union, and regional partners, both sides have largely ignored calls for peace and have been accused of widespread violations against civilians, including indiscriminate shelling, sexual violence, and looting.
On Thursday, drone strikes once again targeted the capital, Khartoum, and its airport, which remains under army control, marking the third consecutive day of aerial attacks. The violence underscores the fragility of previous ceasefire attempts and the challenges facing mediators in enforcing any future truce.
UN agencies have issued fresh appeals for urgent international action to halt the war, warning that the humanitarian situation, particularly in the western region of Darfur and in South Kordofan has reached catastrophic levels. Millions face acute food shortages, collapsing healthcare services, and a growing risk of famine as aid deliveries remain obstructed by ongoing hostilities.
Diplomats hope that the Washington talks will yield at least a temporary pause in the violence to allow relief agencies to reach affected populations. However, observers caution that without political guarantees and clear enforcement mechanisms, any ceasefire is likely to remain fragile.
As one regional analyst noted, “A humanitarian truce could save lives in the short term, but Sudan’s crisis will only end when both sides agree to a credible path toward civilian rule and national reconciliation.”
