Fighting continued in the Sudanese capital on Sunday, in anticipation of the outcome of a Saudi-American initiative agreed upon by the two conflicting parties in the country on a new truce.

The Americans and the Saudis announced that the belligerents were negotiating a truce in Saudi Arabia, but they did not talk about the start of these talks or their content.

On the other hand, the army, led by Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, led by Lieutenant General Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, did not provide any information about discussions between their envoys.

An international tripartite mechanism consisting of the United Nations, the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) welcomed the initiative in a statement.

And she expressed her hope that "the technical talks between the representatives of the two parties in Jeddah will result in understandings that lead to a comprehensive ceasefire," stressing that this "allows the provision of urgent humanitarian assistance to civilians, whose protection must remain an issue of paramount importance."

Also, Arab foreign ministers are scheduled to discuss the Sudanese file on Sunday, while signs of division appear on it.

Since the outbreak of confrontations on April 15, the capital, Khartoum, has been in a state of chaos, resulting from battles between the army and the Rapid Support Forces.

The Al-Sahafa area, south of Khartoum, witnessed clashes between the two sides on Sunday, as an eyewitness told AFP.

The fierce battles that have been going on for 22 days have resulted in 700 deaths and 5,000 wounded, according to data from the Armed Conflict and Events website (ACLED), in addition to the displacement of 335,000 people and 115,000 refugees to neighboring countries.

It also forced a large number of citizens to stay in their homes, as they suffer from water and electricity cuts, and food and money shortages.

Hopes appear high in the talks in Jeddah after all attempts to calm down between the two parties to the conflict failed in recent weeks. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan welcomed in a tweet on Twitter Saturday, "the presence of representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in the city of Jeddah, for dialogue on the situation." in their home country."

"We hope that this dialogue will lead to an end to the conflict, the launch of the political process, and the return of security and stability to the Republic of Sudan," he added.

"For this ceasefire to be different from previous truces, it will be necessary to define practical details and put in place monitoring and sanctions mechanisms," Alli Verje, a researcher at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, told AFP.

He stressed the need for a "geographical and practical framework for a cease-fire," which would include, in particular, "the cessation of air strikes or the withdrawal of fighters from civilian infrastructure such as hospitals."

On Friday night, Washington and Riyadh announced "the start of preliminary talks" in Jeddah between the two parties to the conflict, and urged them to "seriously engage" in them to reach a "ceasefire and end the conflict."

The army confirmed that the discussion would deal with the truce that was reached and renewed more than once, but without being committed to it, while the commander of the Rapid Support Forces thanked Saudi Arabia for "hosting these talks."

These talks come after a series of Arab and African regional initiatives, especially by the eastern countries of the continent through IGAD, which did not bear fruit.

And with the continuation of the fighting, the United Nations warned Friday that 19 million people could suffer from hunger and malnutrition in the coming months.

Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General of the Organization, Farhan Haq, said on Friday that the World Food Program expects that "the number of people suffering from severe food insecurity in Sudan will increase between two and 2.5 million people."

According to the program's report in early 2023, 16.8 million of the total population, estimated at 45 million, were suffering from acute food insecurity.

The United Nations warned that the most affected Sudanese states will be West Darfur, Kordofan, Blue Nile, Red Sea and North Darfur states.

The United Nations Human Rights Council will hold a meeting on May 11th to discuss the "impact" of the confrontations in Sudan "on human rights".

Experts believe that the war may drag on with the inability of either side to resolve the matter on the ground.

The Sudanese are still living sheltered in the sweltering heat for fear of stray bullets, and they are currently deprived of telephone communications to a large extent, as MTN, the telephone operator, announced the suspension of its services because it is no longer able to supply fuel to its generators.

In the border region of Darfur with Chad, civilians took up arms to take part in battles between the army, support forces and rebel tribes, according to the United Nations.

The Norwegian Refugee Council said about 200 people were killed there, according to the Norwegian Council.

Dozens of homes were also burned and thousands of people were displaced in the region, which had previously witnessed a bloody war that began in 2003, killing 300,000 people and displacing 2.5 million.

In the city of Port Sudan (east) on the Red Sea, the United Nations and non-governmental organizations are trying to negotiate the delivery of aid to Khartoum and Darfur, where hospitals and humanitarian aid stores have been bombed or looted.