UN humanitarian head in Saudi Arabia for Sudan talks

The UN's top humanitarian official has arrived in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah for talks aiming for a ceasefire between Sudan's warring sides, a spokesperson said.

"Martin Griffiths is in Jeddah at the moment and the purpose of his visit is to engage in humanitarian issues related to Sudan," spokesperson Eri Kaneko said on Sunday.

Fighting that broke out in Sudan on April 15 between army and paramilitary forces has killed at least 700 people, most of them civilians, wounded thousands and driven a mass exodus of Sudanese and foreign nationals.

A UN official said Griffiths would meet representatives of the two generals at the heart of the conflict, Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al Burhan and his rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who heads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

There was no indication that Griffiths would play a direct role in discussions about a possible ceasefire.

The warring sides have already announced multiple truces but none has taken hold.

Sudanese and Saudi officials have provided scant details about what the Jeddah talks will cover and how long they will last.

A joint US-Saudi statement on Saturday described them as "pre-negotiation talks".

Saudi Arabia's aid

Saudi Arabia has assumed a high-profile role in evacuations from Sudan, dispatching naval and commercial vessels to bring thousands of civilians across the Red Sea from the Sudanese coastal city of Port Sudan.

On Sunday, King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman directed $100 million to be donated for assistance including medical aid and help for displaced people, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

Saudi officials will also organise a public donations campaign "to mitigate the effects of the conditions that the Sudanese people are currently going through," the agency said.