What did Volker Peretz say?
Envoy Volker Peretz told Reuters the two sides had named their representatives for the talks, which were to be held either in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, or Juba, South Sudan. He went on to say that there was a practical matter of whether they could go to either place to “actually sit together.” He added that no timetable had been set for the talks. Peretz said he told the Security Council that both sides believed they could win the conflict, during his last briefing two days ago, but he also said positions were changing. He added, “Both believe he’s going to win, but both are a bit more open to negotiations. The word negotiations or talks wasn’t present in their speeches for the first week or so.” Peretz said that when both sides make statements saying the other side must “surrender or die,” they are also saying, “Well, we accept…some form of talks.” He continued, “They both recognized that this war could not go on.”
Sharp remarks
This speech represents a beacon of hope even in light of the ongoing fighting and widely divergent positions.
The prospects for negotiations between the two leaders of the two parties seemed slim so far, especially after the loud statements made by the two parties to the conflict.
Hundreds of people have been killed since April 15, when a long power struggle between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted into fighting.
While the army carries out daily airstrikes and says it still controls major installations, residents say the RSF has a strong presence on the ground in the capital, Khartoum.
Fighting between the two sides caused damage to electricity, water and communications infrastructure, and looting swept through businesses and homes.
Tens of thousands of Sudanese fled either to other cities or to neighboring countries.
The mechanism that does not tolerate delay
Peretz said the task that cannot be delayed is to develop a monitoring mechanism for the implementation of truces that the two sides have repeatedly agreed to but failed to stop the fighting.
Peretz said signs of impending conflict were evident in early April, as international and local mediators worked to defuse tensions but believed “de-escalation” had been achieved the day before the fighting broke out.
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