A new round of negotiations aimed at ending a 16-month-long civil war in Sudan has begun in Switzerland, despite the absence of the Sudanese military. The decision by military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan to refrain from participating in the U.S.-led talks has diminished hopes that Wednesday’s negotiations will yield a breakthrough between the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo.
The two factions have been embroiled in a violent conflict since April of last year. According to a spokesperson for the U.S. mission in Geneva, there is “no change” regarding the army’s absence from the negotiations. Al-Burhan has adopted a defiant stance after surviving a drone attack during a military celebration in eastern Sudan last month. On Tuesday, he stated, “Military operations will not stop until every single soldier is withdrawn from the cities and villages they have looted and colonized.”
The Sudanese army has repeatedly accused the RSF of failing to adhere to commitments to withdraw its combat forces from civilian areas and to facilitate humanitarian aid deliveries. This was part of an agreement reached during direct negotiations in Saudi Arabia last year, which resulted in a brief pause in hostilities. Mediators have noted that both sides have violated the terms of the agreement.
The RSF has denied accusations of committing atrocities against civilians or engaging in looting, although they continue to bombard the cities of Omdurman, el-Obeid, and el-Fasher. The RSF has sent a delegation to the negotiations in Switzerland and has expressed a willingness to enter a new peace agreement if the army engages in dialogue.
Representatives from Egypt, the United Nations, the African Union, East Africa’s IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development), and the United Arab Emirates are also attending the meeting. The UAE has repeatedly denied allegations of providing arms and military support to the RSF.
Al-Burhan and Hemedti shared power precariously after the ousting of President Omar al-Bashir in 2021. However, tensions regarding plans to integrate their two forces led to a full-scale war last year. Fighting first erupted in the capital, Khartoum, and the RSF has since captured most of the Darfur region and Gezira State. The army-led government has established its base in Port Sudan on the country’s eastern coast.
Both sides have been accused of committing abuses, including targeting civilians, indiscriminate shelling of residential areas, and hindering humanitarian aid delivery. The United Nations has reported that the conflict has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and displaced more than 10.7 million people. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), around 2.3 million refugees have fled the country.
This week, UN officials warned that Sudan is at a “catastrophic breaking point,” as they forecast that tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths will occur due to hunger, disease, floods, and violence in the coming months if fighting does not cease.