{"id":20119015,"date":"2025-07-29T20:13:19","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T18:13:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/?p=20119015"},"modified":"2025-07-29T20:13:48","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T18:13:48","slug":"sudan-peace-talks-timeline-marked-by-repeated-failures-and-deadlock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/en\/all-news\/article\/sudan-peace-talks-timeline-marked-by-repeated-failures-and-deadlock","title":{"rendered":"Explainer: Sudan peace talks timeline marked by repeated failures and deadlock"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With today\u2019s Quartet summit to be held in Washington DC, involving Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and the United States, an initiative backed by former US President Joe Biden and the current Donald Trump administration aims to revive the stymied peace process, which has been stalled by a string of failed negotiations between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite numerous efforts since the war conflict began in April 2023, not a single ceasefire has held.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Efforts to halt the conflict began just days into the war, as Sudanese and international actors pushed for a\u00a0three-day truce<\/a>\u00a0during\u00a0Eid El Fitr<\/a>\u00a0in April 2023. Hopes were quickly dashed. RSF Commander Mohamed \u2018Hemedti\u2019 Dagalo rejected talks, declaring, \u201cDo not negotiate with a criminal,\u201d in reference to SAF Commander-in-Chief Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The army, meanwhile, insisted on full RSF surrender before any negotiations. A short humanitarian pause collapsed almost immediately amid accusations of violations from both sides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first round of\u00a0Jeddah talks<\/a>\u00a0in May 2023, brokered by the US and Saudi Arabia, produced a \u201cDeclaration of Principles\u201d and a\u00a0seven-day ceasefire<\/a>, briefly extended. Yet both parties violated the agreement. On 31 May, SAF suspended its participation, accusing the RSF of occupying hospitals and civilian areas. The RSF blamed SAF airstrikes. The talks were indefinitely suspended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In late 2023, the\u00a0US-Saudi initiative<\/a>\u00a0resumed, joined by IGAD and backed by the African Union. Despite discussions to open humanitarian channels and a tentative agreement for a leadership meeting, no ceasefire emerged. On 3 December, mediators suspended the talks again, citing continued hostilities and a failure to implement even basic confidence-building measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In February 2024, SAF Deputy Commander Shamseldin Kabbashi met Abdulrahim Dagalo, Hemedti\u2019s brother,\u00a0in Bahrain\u2019s capital of Manama<\/a>, alongside envoys from Egypt, the UAE, the US, and Saudi Arabia. The meeting produced no tangible outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In July, a UN-led initiative in\u00a0Geneva<\/a>, facilitated by Envoy Ramtane Lamamra, sought indirect talks focused on humanitarian access. SAF\u00a0refused to participate<\/a>. Lt Gen Yasir El Atta declared, \u201cDialogue will begin only after [RSF] withdrawal from the cities,\u201d even if the war lasted \u201ca hundred years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

British attempts to open humanitarian corridors also met resistance. In 2024, the British Foreign Office reportedly held secret talks with the RSF. The Sudanese government in Port Sudan condemned the move, accusing the UK of legitimising a militia. The effort was quietly shelved under political pressure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Why peace talks keep failing, and what could make them work\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mediators and analysts say deep mistrust between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) lies at the heart of repeated ceasefire collapses. Disjointed mediation efforts, led variously by the US, Saudi Arabia, IGAD, and the African Union, have worked at cross-purposes, weakening international pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both sides continue to pursue military victory over negotiation, while truce violations go unpunished due to the absence of enforcement mechanisms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Core political disputes remain unresolved, particularly the future integration of RSF fighters into the regular army. Foreign interference further undermines efforts to reach a neutral, lasting settlement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, experts agree on what could shift the tide. Real political will from both parties, a unified mediation platform, strong international oversight, and reduced outside interference are all key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crucially, any credible process must\u00a0include Sudanese civil society<\/a>\u00a0and civilian political actors to forge a sustainable path to peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Timeline of Major Negotiation Efforts (2023\u20132025)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Period<\/td>Procedure<\/td>Result<\/td><\/tr><\/thead>
April\u2013May 2023<\/td>Eid El Fitr truce attempt<\/td>Quickly collapsed<\/td><\/tr>
May 2023<\/td>First Jeddah negotiations<\/td>One-week truce + 5-day extension, then collapse<\/td><\/tr>
May 30\u2013June 1, 2023<\/td>Army withdrawal from talks<\/td>Due to RSF violations and mutual failure to comply<\/td><\/tr>
Oct\u2013Dec 2023<\/td>Jeddah and Juba negotiations<\/td>Only humanitarian corridor agreed, no truce<\/td><\/tr>
Dec 2023<\/td>Second Jeddah round<\/td>Talks permanently suspended<\/td><\/tr>
July 2024<\/td>Geneva meeting under UN envoy Lamamra<\/td>Army refused participation before RSF withdrawal<\/td><\/tr>
2024\u20132025<\/td>British-led confidential talks with RSF<\/td>Suspended after political backlash<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n