Saudi Foreign Ministry: The Kingdom’s leadership is keen to spare the blood of the Sudanese

The Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, confirmed the keenness of the Kingdom’s leadership to spare Sudanese blood, on the occasion of announcing the signing of a cease-fire agreement on the night of Saturday-Sunday between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, following talks in the city of Jeddah.

The Saudi foreign minister affirmed the kingdom’s leadership’s keenness on “the security and stability of Sudan and its brotherly people.” He expressed his appreciation for the cooperation of the Sudanese parties participating in the Jeddah talks to reach a ceasefire agreement.

He saw in this agreement a glimmer of hope for the Sudanese, especially the residents of the capital, Khartoum, expressing his hope that the agreement would be extended at a later time.

And Saudi Arabia and the United States announced on Saturday-Sunday night that the Sudanese parties had reached a truce agreement, and confirmed in their joint statement that “the Sudanese people have suffered during the past five weeks from this devastating conflict. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America stand by their side, and demand that the parties fully abide by their obligations.” To implement the short-term ceasefire agreement, and humanitarian aid to provide much-needed relief.

According to the joint Saudi-American statement, the two parties to the conflict in Sudan agreed to a seven-day ceasefire, starting on May 22. The statement stated that the ceasefire “can be extended with the consent of the two parties,” who also agreed to “delivery and distribute humanitarian aid, restore basic services, and withdraw forces from hospitals and basic public facilities.” The parties also agreed to facilitate the safe passage of humanitarian aid providers and goods, allowing for the unhindered flow of aid from ports of entry to populations in need.

“Given the difficulty of the conflict, our immediate focus has been on stopping the fighting to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people, and the Jeddah talks are aimed at a short-term ceasefire to facilitate humanitarian aid and restore basic services. It is not a political process and should not be seen as such, as we expect,” the statement said. Subsequent talks, which will include Sudanese civilians and regional and international partners, address the necessary steps to reach a permanent cessation of hostilities and activate the political process to complete democratic change and the formation of a civilian government.