The U.S. Government and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in a rare move, issued last night a joint statement on the occasion of the start of direct talks, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia between the two factions of the Sudanese civil war, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.

The following is the full text of the joint statement:

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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States welcome the start of pre-negotiation talks between representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in Jeddah on May 6th 2023.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States urge both parties to take in consideration the interests of the Sudanese nation and its people and actively engage in the talks towards a cease fire and end to the conflict, which will spare the Sudanese people’s suffering and ensure the availability of humanitarian aid to affected areas. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States also would like to stress the efforts of the countries and organizations which supported these talks, including Quad countries (The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States), the League of Arab States, and partners from the Trilateral Mechanism (UNITAMS, the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development). Finally, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States urge continued, coordinated international support for an expanded negotiation process that should include engagement with all Sudanese parties.

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