Progress at talks on Sudan's war limited by army's no-show, mediators say

US-led mediators said on Friday they had secured guarantees from Sudan's warring parties at talks in Switzerland to improve access to humanitarian aid, but that the Sudanese army's absence from the discussions hindered progress.

Over 10 days of talks a new group of mediators including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates tried to negotiate more aid and protection for civilians facing famine, mass displacement and spreading disease after 16 months of war between the army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries.

The mediators, calling themselves the Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan (ALPS) Group, said they had secured promises to let aid flow through the Adre border crossing from Chad into the Darfur region and along the Dabbah Road from Port Sudan on the Red Sea. They also reported progress towards opening another route through the Sennar Junction.

However, they acknowledged that any progress fell far short of the response needed for one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

"We hope that this will be a source of momentum for much bigger steps and progress down the road," U.S. Sudan envoy Tom Perriello told a press conference in Geneva.

"The sad thing is, the crisis in Sudan is so severe that we could do four of these (negotiation rounds) and still be barely scratching the surface of what Sudanese people deserve."

In an illustration of the challenges, only a fraction of the aid available at Adre has been dispatched this week, as the army-aligned government imposed a halt to movements after the crossing opened for the first time in months.

Intense diplomatic lobbying failed to persuade the army to send a formal delegation to Switzerland, although mediators said they were in contact with the army virtually.

"Though we were in consistent communication with SAF (Sudanese Armed Forces) virtually, we regret their decision not to be present, and we believe that limited our ability to make more substantial progress towards key issues, particularly a national cessation of hostilities," ALPS said in a statement.

The army has objected to the involvement in the talks of the United Arab Emirates, which has provided material support to the RSF according to reports that UN experts say are credible. The UAE has denied sending weapons to the RSF.

Perriello said in a subsequent interview that Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had been open to army participation in the talks but that there were "very negative political forces that are kneecapping (him)", without naming them.

The war in Sudan began in April 2023 when competition between the army and the RSF, who had previously shared power after staging a coup, flared into open warfare.

The two sides had been seeking to protect their power and extensive economic interests as the international community promoted a plan for a transition towards civilian rule.

Overlapping efforts in pursuit of a ceasefire, including Saudi- and US-led talks in Jeddah, have not eased the fighting and half of the 50 million population lack food.

"We do believe that the national cessation of hostilities is possible. We know that that is going to take a great deal of work," said Perriello.