Sudan’s warring sides to begin talks in Saudi Arabia as fighting rages on

Washington and Riyadh confirm talks in Jeddah amid reports of more airstrikes and explosions in Khartoum despite US threat of sanctions

Direct talks between the warring Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces will start in Jeddah on Saturday, the US and Saudi governments have confirmed, even as fighting showed little signs of abating in the Sudanese capital.

A joint US-Saudi statement welcomed the “start of pre-negotiation talks” and urged sustained global support to quell the fighting.