East Africa: Joint Statement On Commitments From Jeddah Talks Between Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces

7 November 2023
United States Department of State (Washington, DC)
document

As co-facilitators of the talks in Jeddah between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), also participating on behalf of the African Union, and the United States are able to announce that the SAF and RSF have committed to take steps to facilitate increased humanitarian assistance, and to implement confidence-building measures (CBMs).

The talks in Jeddah remain focused on a narrow set of objectives - to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance, establish ceasefires and other confidence building measures, and build toward a permanent cessation of hostilities.

Reaffirming their obligations under the May 11, 2023, Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan, both the SAF and RSF committed to:

  • Participate in a joint humanitarian forum led by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to resolve impediments to humanitarian access and deliveries of assistance.
  • Identify points of contact to assist with movements of humanitarian personnel and assistance.
  • Implement confidence-building measures related to the following themes:
    • Establishment of communication between SAF and RSF leaders
    • Arrest of prison escapees and fugitives
    • Improvement of each side's official media discourse, and reduction of inflammatory rhetoric
    • Actions concerning each side's warmongers and pro-war elements.Implementation of these measures will be in parallel.

The belligerent parties also made specific, individual commitments regarding the facilitation of humanitarian access, which are detailed in these SAF (English; Arabic) and RSF (English; Arabic) documents.

These shared and individual commitments can represent important steps toward facilitating increased humanitarian access to help ease the suffering of the Sudanese people. It is now up to the SAF and RSF to fully implement their commitments.

The co-facilitators regret that the parties were unable to agree on ceasefire implementation arrangements during this first round of talks. There is no acceptable military solution to this conflict. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, IGAD, also on behalf of the African Union, and the United States call upon the SAF and RSF to put the Sudanese people first, silence the guns, and seek a negotiated end to this needless war.

Office of the Spokesperson

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