Arab League begins negotiations between Sudan's warring sides

The Arab League (AL) held an emergency meeting in Cairo this weekend, the third of its kind in three weeks, to discuss the ongoing military clashes in Sudan.

Sudan has been suffering deadly armed clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the capital city of Khartoum and other areas since April 15, with the two sides accusing each other of initiating the conflict.

Shortly after the outbreak of the conflicts, the AL held two emergency meetings on April 16 and 30, respectively, to discuss the situation in Sudan.

This weekend, top diplomats in the Arab world gathered in the Egyptian capital once again, trying to see how they can cooperate to help the Sudanese talks succeed, so as to ensure Sudan is not dragged into a long armed conflict.

"The top priority for the Arab League now is to find a real solution and to stop the bloodshed, to protect the livelihoods of people in Sudan, especially since this country is relying on humanitarian aid. The consequences have been exacerbated. This is not about calling the RSF a militia or not. The top priority now for the Arab League is to find a way out of the current situation," said Amira Sayed, a researcher on African affairs at the Egyptian Gazette.

The Arab League meeting came after Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry wrapped up a busy week to discuss the crisis in Egypt's southern neighbor.

Shoukry spoke to the commanders of the rival Sudanese sides, General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan of the SAF and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo of the RSF. Shoukry also discussed the recent developments with seven Arab and African foreign ministers including those of Kenya and Djibouti.

So far, the deadly clashes have left 550 people dead and 4,926 others wounded, according to the Sudanese Health Ministry.