The “US” welcomes “RSF” commitments in “Geneva”

The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced in a statement yesterday, Tuesday, that his country welcomes the resumption of the delivery of humanitarian aid through the “Adré” border crossing, from Chad to Sudan, and the relevant diplomatic efforts to continue the delivery of emergency aid to the famine-stricken parts of Darfur via the Ed Debba-Port Sudan road.

The statement indicated that the United States’ welcome of these steps comes after the severe shortage of humanitarian aid access to Darfur during the past six months; leading to a sharp exacerbation of the historical levels of famine and starvation, throughout Sudan, especially inside the “Zamzam” Camp located in North Darfur state.

The United States attributed in its statement this progress in providing humanitarian aid to those in need; to the momentum achieved during the “Geneva” talks held this month in “Switzerland”, with the Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan (ALPS) Group, which includes: the United States, Switzerland, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the African Union and United Nations.

The United States shared in the statement that, the (ALPS) Group held extensive face-to-face and virtual discussions with the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces, with the aim of increasing the possibility of life-saving humanitarian assistance reaching millions of Sudanese people in various regions.

The statement added that, through this effort, the United States and its partners obtained guarantees from the warring parties in Sudan; related to securing safe and unhindered access for humanitarian assistance. The US continued to explain in the statement that this could allow the delivery of aid to nearly one million people already facing famine in a number of regions in Sudan.

The United States announced its welcome of the commitments of the Rapid Support Forces in the talks this month; as well as its confirmation of refraining from attacks that could constitute an obstacle to the delivery of humanitarian assistance, in addition to facilitating procedures to accelerate the emergency access of food and medicine to those in need.

The US also welcomed the commitment of the Rapid Support Forces to a code of conduct for its fighters, which includes: leadership directives to refrain from using violence against women, exploitation at checkpoints and destruction of crops. In addition to compliance with the obligations of the Jeddah Declaration and International Humanitarian Law.

The US statement stressed that these new commitments must be reflected in the actions of the Rapid Support Forces on the ground, adding that the United States is committed to working with its international partners to engage the two parties in direct talks and end the ongoing violence.