Sudan death toll rises to more than 600 as warring sides continue talks
The death toll from the ongoing clashes in Sudan has risen to 604, including civilians, the UN health agency said on Tuesday, as representatives of the warring parties held talks in Saudi Arabia.
A further 5,100 people have been injured as a result of the fighting, World Health Organisation spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told reporters.
On Monday, the Sudanese Doctors’ Syndicate, which tracks only civilian casualties, said the number of fatalities had reached 487.
The conflict started on April 15, after months of escalating tensions between the military, led by General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and a rival paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
The fighting has turned urban areas into battlefields and displaced nearly 700,000 people on top of the 3.7 million who had already been internally displaced within the country before the conflict began, according to the UN migration agency.
On Monday, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said talks between delegations of both warring sides were expected to continue for a few more days in the coastal city of Jeddah.
The talks are part of a diplomatic initiative proposed by the kingdom and the United States in hopes of ending the fighting.
Meanwhile, General Burhan accused the RSF of using residential neighbourhoods as military bases and civilians as human shields.
In an interview with Egyptian TV channel Al-Qahira Al-Akhbariya late on Monday he insisted they must withdraw all their troops from the capital, Khartoum, before any truce agreement can be reached.
“If this is not achieved, there will be no point in going to Saudi Arabia, or engaging in any negotiations,” he said.
“We won’t go ahead with any initiative that does not bring back normalcy and ensure the safety of our citizens.”
The RSF has not responded to General Burhan’s statement.
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