Rhino: Agencies – US Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Brillo said on Monday that the ongoing Sudan talks in Switzerland on expanding the delivery of humanitarian aid are primarily aimed at reopening three routes.

Brillo said during an online press conference: ‘Our priority is to look at how to open up three routes that together would allow 20 million people who are currently completely or largely deprived of food and medicine to receive this assistance.’

‘That is why we prioritized the Dibba Road, the Sennar junction and the Adré crossing.’

The Adré crossing ‘is about to open, with more than 100 trucks ready to leave tomorrow’, Brillo said.

He explained: ‘This means we may see food and medicine reach areas such as Zamzam camp where more than 400,000 people are suffering from hunger and starvation. That is why we are here. We are here to achieve results and we are negotiating hard every day with the RSF and the army.’

On 14 August, ceasefire talks with the RSF began in Switzerland, but in the absence of the Sudanese army, which refused to participate.

Negotiators are in regular contact with the army by phone, Brillo said, adding that it is a new form of negotiation that has proved very fruitful, and will continue this week, at least.

‘We twice asked the heads of delegations if they wanted to finish the mission ahead of schedule, and they were very clear on this point, because they believe we are achieving real results together,’ he said, noting that the army’s participation will facilitate the negotiations.

‘The negotiations have made a lot of progress, but we are not yet satisfied, we are only at the beginning of what we hope to achieve here,’ he said.

 ‘We want to work on a cessation of hostilities, which is more difficult’ if all parties are not present in Switzerland, he said.

The talks are sponsored by the US, Saudi Arabia and Switzerland, with the African Union, Egypt, the UAE and the UN participating as observers.