Sudan rival generals to resume US and Saudi-led talks to end war

Previous mediation attempts have only yielded brief truces, and even those were systematically violated.

In a statement, the army said it had accepted an invitation from Saudi Arabia and the United States to travel to the Saudi city of Jeddah "out of a belief by the armed forces that negotiations is one of the means that may end the conflict".

The RSF later said their delegation "arrived in Jeddah today", in hopes of "reaching a solution that will stop the war and end the suffering of our people."

But the army also said that "the resumption of negotiations does not mean a halt of the national battle of dignity, for the defeat of the rebel militia," in reference to the RSF, which said "our brave forces maintain full control on the battlefield".

Before the first round of the Jeddah talks were suspended, mediators had grown increasingly frustrated with both sides' reluctance to work towards a sustained truce.

US officials said the talks would resume Thursday and aim for a ceasefire but that it was premature to discuss a lasting political solution.

"The new round will focus on ensuring unhindered humanitarian access and achieving ceasefires and other confidence-building measures," a State Department official said on condition of anonymity.

Another official told reporters that the United States hoped for a "constructive spirit" in the talks, saying, "there is no acceptable military solution to this conflict."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who helped mediate at the start of the crisis, finalised details on the talks on a recent visit to Saudi Arabia as part of a trip largely devoted to the Israel-Hamas war, US officials said.

Also participating in the Jeddah talks will be representatives of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the East African regional bloc led by close US partner Kenya.