Sudan ceasefire talks set to start despite army no-show

US-mediated Sudan ceasefire talks were to kick off in Switzerland on Wednesday, even though the Sudanese government is set to stay away.

Tom Perriello, the US Special Envoy for Sudan convening the discussions, insisted they go ahead regardless, saying the suffering people of Sudan, ravaged by the devastating civil war, cannot wait any longer.

Civil war has raged since April 2023 between the Sudanese army under the country's military leader Abdel Fattah al Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

But while the RSF delegation is in Switzerland for the talks -- taking place behind closed doors in an undisclosed location -- the Sudanese armed forces (SAF) are yet to accept the invite.

The talks, which could last up to 10 days, are being co-hosted by Saudi Arabia and Switzerland, with the African Union, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and the United Nations present as observers.

The brutal conflict has triggered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

The fighting has forced one in five people to flee their homes, while tens of thousands have died. More than 25 million across the co untry -- more than half its population -- face acute hunger.

"The time for peace is now," Perriello said Tuesday.

"Thus far, SAF has not agreed to participate. Yet we will proceed with our international and technical partners to explore every option to support the people of Sudan," he said, urging the government to "seize the opportunity".

'Sense of urgency'

Previous rounds of talks in the Saudi city of Jeddah have come to nothing.

If the SAF chairs remain empty this time, there will be no formal mediation between the warring sides, but other attendees will press on with the talks' agenda.

Perriello said there was a "deep sense of urgency to make progress this week towards a cessation of hostilities and expanded humanitarian access", plus ways to uphold agreements.

"The Sudanese people cannot afford for us to wait."

A member of the RSF delegation confirmed they were in Switzerland ahead of the talks.

"Our delegation has arrived in Geneva to start negotiations; we don't know anything about the army delegation," the member told AFP on Tuesday.

The Sudanese government says more discussions are needed before joining ceasefire negotiations.

Sudan's Media Minister Graham Abdelkader said it was rejecting "any new observers or participants" -- notably after Washington "insisted on the participation of the United Arab Emirates as an observer".

The Sudanese army has repeatedly accused the UAE of backing the RSF.