UPDATE - 5 countries backing US-sponsored peace process for Sudan say talks to continue

REVISES HEADLINE, LEDE, ADDS DETAILS

By Peter Kenny

GENEVA (AA) – Five countries supporting a US-sponsored peace process for Sudan along with the African Union and the United Nations issued a terse statement Wednesday after the first day of talks in Geneva indicating they will continue.

“We are hard at work in Switzerland on the first day of intensive diplomatic efforts for Sudan to support humanitarian access, the cessation of hostilities, and compliance in accordance with previous Jeddah outcomes, other efforts and international humanitarian law,” they said in a statement posted on X.
The joint statement was issued by the US, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the African Union and the United Nations.
The Treaty of Jeddah was signed by the US, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and representatives of both warring sides on May 20, intending to facilitate a week-long cease-fire and the distribution of humanitarian aid within the country.
The US-sponsored peace talks began in Geneva on Wednesday to end hostilities in Sudan, going ahead without the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) agreeing to participate, but the statement issued made no mention of the Sudanese parties present.
Sudan has been mired by fighting between the army, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the ruling Sovereign Council, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

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

US Special Envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello said the "opening session with our international and technical partners representing Switzerland, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the African Union and the United Nations" had begun.
"The belligerents must respect international humanitarian law and enable humanitarian assistance. It is high time for the guns to be silenced," he added.
Organizers have said the talks could last up to 10 days at an undisclosed location in Switzerland. They are not open to the public.
Saudi Arabia and Switzerland are co-hosts, while the African Union, Egypt, the UAE and the UN are acting as steering groups.

"I'm excited to welcome my friend and partner Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Chair of the @_AfricanUnion High-Level Panel for Sudan, to these important diplomatic talks on Sudan,” Perriello said on X.

“We share a deep sense of urgency to make progress this week towards a cessation of hostilities and expanded humanitarian access, as well as mechanisms to monitor and enforce new agreements."
The day before the talks kicked off, James Elder, the spokesperson for UNICEF, the UN children's agency, said the African country's humanitarian crisis is, by numbers, the biggest in the world for children.
"Five million children have been forced to flee their homes – a staggering average of 10,000 girls and boys displaced every single day – making Sudan the world's largest child displacement crisis," said Elder.