With the capital city Sudan, Khartoum transformed into a war zone, Saudi Arabia and the United States have called for a ceasefire agreement in Jeddah.
The negotiators are in a dilemma, as whatever decision they take will decide the future of Sudan. To silence the guns, the American and Saudi Arabian diplomats will deal with the envoys that both warring parties have sent.
The immediate agenda of the ceasefire is to build a humanitarian corridor for aid, as neither side is ready for a political negotiation.
Pre-negotiation talks began on Saturday and are still going on to achieve an effective short-term ceasefire.
Saudi Arabia will grant $100 million in humanitarian aid to Sudan, as reported by a Saudi state-run television channel called Al Ekhbariya.
Intended aim
The conflict started on April 15, following the collapse of an internationally backed plan for a transition to democracy.
To get both generals to agree to any kind of ceasefire will not be easy.
The army chief, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, will be adamant that he represents the legitimate government and will call Hamdan Dagalo a rebel.
Burhan has blamed the war on Hemedti’s “ambitions.” Hemedti has vowed to either kill Abel Fattah al-Burhan or take him captive.
Both sides have made it clear that this is a humanitarian ceasefire for aid and not the end of the war.
Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, has expressed hopes that the talks will achieve the intended aim of creating a safe passage for the civilians.
The envoys have been urged by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia to use this round of talks as an opportunity to schedule subsequent negotiations to achieve a permanent cessation of hostilities.
Both sides are unwilling to compromise and put an end to the bloodshed. Both warring parties will try to demand a dominant position in the negotiations.
However, the point on which both sides agree is that they do not want a democratic government, which was a possibility before the war began. Another point that they will agree on is amnesty for war crimes.
The negotiations are likely to end with an agreement to share the war spoils, setting back the prospects of democracy for several more years.
The way ahead for Sudan
The United States is threatening sanctions; however, that will not deter the generals.
The United Nations Mine Action Service has said that the excessive use of explosives is a danger to civilians, especially children, who can mistake them for toys.
Western powers have supported the transition to a civilian government in a country that has a strategic position.
Everyone, including China and Russia, agrees that fighting is destructive.
The war is on the verge of becoming intractable with every passing day. Hunger will likely become the weapon of war, and aid will be a resource for manipulation.
Local resistance committees have stepped into the vacuum created by the evacuation of UN and foreign aid workers to organise help and a safe route for the civilians to escape.
The people of Sudan feel that the international community abandoned them in their time of need.
There is no simple solution to the escalating war in Sudan, whatever is decided will shape the future of the country.
