SUDAN GOVT AGREES TO SEND DELEGATION TO CAIRO. (PHOTO).

 Sudan government agrees to send delegation to Cairo

Sudan's army-aligned government has said it would send a delegation to Cairo to discuss implementing a previous humanitarian deal, despite boycotting ongoing talks in Switzerland seeking to end the army's 16-month war with paramilitaries.

The United States is currently brokering ceasefire talks in an undisclosed location in Switzerland, which the army's adversaries the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are attending, but the army has shunned.

Sudan's ruling Transitional Sovereignty Council said in a statement that the delegation in Cairo would discuss "the government's vision for implementing the Jeddah Agreement", which was negotiated last year in a bid to protect civilians, AFP reported.

Though fighting has continued unabated, the warring parties had agreed in May 2023 during talks in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah to respect humanitarian principles and allow in badly needed aid.

The decision came "based on communication with the American government, represented by US envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello, and communication with the Egyptian government requesting a meeting with a government delegation in Cairo," it added.

Burhan has repeatedly rejected the Swiss-hosted talks, vowing there will be no peace "without the withdrawal of every last militia fighter from the cities and villages they have plundered and colonised".

His government has accused mediators of trying to legitimise the RSF and circumvent the Sudanese state.

The government has also rejected the presence of the United Arab Emirates as an observer in the ongoing talks in Switzerland, after months of accusing Abu Dhabi of backing the RSF.

Yet despite the army's no-show, Perriello told AFP on Thursday that discussions are ongoing in "virtual proximity talks", where brokers speak to each side separately.

The fighting in Sudan, which has killed tens of thousands and displaced a fifth of the population, has continued unabated despite the ongoing mediation efforts.

Both forces have been accused of war crimes, including targeting civilians, indiscriminately shelling residential areas and looting or obstructing aid.