Will there be a cease-fire or not? In recent days much of the attention to that question has focused on Gaza, but just across the Red Sea, another devastating conflict is raging without an end in sight.
US-led talks to end Sudan’s brutal 15-month civil war – which pits the army against the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF – began in Switzerland on Wednesday. But there’s a catch: neither side is showing up.
The Sudanese army says the RSF hasn’t complied with earlier agreements to withdraw from territory, and it’s unhappy about the attendance of the UAE, which the generals say backs the RSF. The RSF, for its part, arrived in Switzerland but at the last minute ditched the talks without giving a reason.
This naturally bodes poorly for ending a conflict that has driven 10 million people from their homes and created a humanitarian disaster.
Is US influence dwindling? We can’t say for sure, but the chaotic, polarized state of affairs in Washington, exacerbated by uncertainty about who will be in power next year, could be undermining US credibility as a broker. Whether it’s Gaza or Sudan, how confident can combatants really be in Washington’s word right now?