Foreign powers to host Sudan truce meeting in Washington: senior official

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Representatives of the United States, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt will meet Friday in Washington with the sides in Sudan's long-running war to push them towards a truce, an official familiar with the four countries' discussions said.

Last month, the influential foreign powers, sometimes referred to as the Quad, jointly called for a humanitarian truce in Sudan, followed by a permanent ceasefire and a transition toward civilian rule.

This week's meeting is focused on that plan "and pressing the warring parties to implement a three-month nationwide humanitarian truce", the senior official told AFP Thursday on condition of anonymity.

The Quad is "acting collectively to apply unified pressure on the parties to stop the fighting and allow aid to reach civilians", they added.

The official said members of the grouping would meet with the two sides separately.

Since April of 2023, Sudan has been torn apart by fighting between its regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced nearly 12 million, creating the world's largest displacement and hunger crises.

As witnesses reported drones targeting the army-held capital Khartoum for the third consecutive day on Thursday, four UN agencies urged an "immediate cessation of hostilities".

They called attention to the dire humanitarian situation in the country, particularly in the Kordofan and Darfur regions.

Sudan's army-aligned government reacted coolly to the Quad's peace plan last month, rejecting the suggestion that both it and the RSF be excluded from the country's post-war political transition.