Op-ed: Will the US-Saudi summit reactivate the Jeddah Platform?

Sudanese political leader Yasir Arman issues an urgent appeal to the international community, as Sudan faces one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. With Port Sudan, the country’s primary aid gateway and a centre for international relief agencies, now under threat, Arman calls for immediate action to protect civilians, secure aid corridors, and pressure warring parties toward a humanitarian ceasefire through the Jeddah Platform*.

By Yasir Arman**

The humanitarian situation across Sudan has reached a critical stage, especially after what has taken place in Port Sudan, the headquarters of many United Nations agencies, humanitarian organisations, and the country’s main port for the entry of humanitarian aid.

The war threatens the lives of millions of displaced people, and will force them to seek refuge beyond Sudan’s borders, if the humanitarian catastrophe within the country is not urgently addressed. The healthcare system is on the verge of collapse —if it hasn’t already collapsed— and doctors and healthcare workers have no protection, just like all other civilians.

The visit of US President Donald Trump to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the summit meetings he will hold with the King and the Crown Prince, represent a rare opportunity. This summit brings together the highest level of engagement with the Jeddah Platform and offers a chance to exert maximum pressure to protect civilians, stop the war, and reach a practical humanitarian agreement that opens aid corridors throughout Sudan.

This must be done with full consideration of the Jeddah Declaration to ensure that food reaches all those in need before the arrival of the rainy season. It must be implemented unconditionally and in accordance with international humanitarian law. If achieved, it would be a historic and unprecedented success in responding to the world’s largest humanitarian disaster today.

The leadership of the army [SAF] must agree to negotiations to address the humanitarian catastrophe. The situation is too dire to allow for the rejection of talks, especially as the rainy season approaches, making it more difficult to access vast areas of the country and putting civilians at further risk and expose them to more war crimes.

What happened in Port Sudan is horrifying. The real solution lies in ending the war, protecting infrastructure, and a courageous commitment from all warring parties to address the humanitarian crisis. Addressing it is a right of the people and the civilians, not a favour.

We trust that the mediators of the Jeddah Platform will engage with Sudan’s neighbouring countries, African and Arab states, and the broader international community to secure a humanitarian ceasefire that the Sudanese people urgently need across the entire country.

“Indeed, Allah does not allow the reward of those who do good to be lost.”
— The Holy Qur’an

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the contributing author or media and do not necessarily reflect the position of Radio Dabanga.

*The Jeddah Platform refers to Saudi- and US-brokered negotiations launched in May 2023 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The talks aimed to secure humanitarian access, protect civilians, and de-escalate fighting during the war that erupted in April 2023.

The process led to the Jeddah Declaration, signed on May 11, 2023, in which both parties agreed to respect humanitarian principles. Despite these commitments, the declaration was repeatedly violated, and the talks were suspended in December 2023 after reaching a stalemate. The failure to implement the agreed-upon measures has been described as a “painful blow” to the Sudanese people.

While the Jeddah Initiative remains a reference point, the talks were suspended, and efforts to revive them have struggled amid ongoing violence and deepening fragmentation on the ground.

**Yasir Arman is the leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement Revolutionary Democratic Current (SPLM-RDC).

In early March, Yasir Arman was detained by Kenyan authorities on arrival, based on an Interpol Red Notice issued by the Sudanese government. The notice accused him of terrorism, sedition, incitement, and crimes against the state, demanding his extradition to Port Sudan. Arman and his organisation dismiss the charges as “fabricated” and “political.” An Interpol Red Notice requests the provisional arrest of a person pending extradition or similar legal action. He was later released.