Israel offers to host Sudan peace summit, as 72-hour truce announced

Israel offered to host ceasefire talks between warring Sudanese factions as the United States said a temporary 72-hour truce would take effect starting Tuesday to allow Western, Arab and Asian nations raced to extract their citizens from the country.

“If there is a way in which Israel can help stop the war and violence in that country [Sudan], we would be very happy to do so,” Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said.

In announcing the truce, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that “following intense negotiation over the past 48 hours, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have agreed to implement a nationwide ceasefire starting at midnight on April 24, to last for 72 hours.” 

Fighting had erupted between Sudan's armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group on April 15 and has killed at least 427 people, knocked out hospitals and other services and turned residential areas into war zones.

Cohen had flown to Khartoum in February before the April outbreak of violence, with an eye to finalizing Israel's normalization deal with Sudan, a move which pulled on his past close ties with the countries and that of his director-general Ronen Levy.

"Since my visit to Khartoum three months ago, a visit whose purpose was to bring about the signing of a historic peace agreement between Israel and Sudan, we have been in contact with various parties in Sudan in order to promote relations between the countries,” Cohen said on Monday.

Foreign Ministry offers to host a negotiation summit in Israel

Israel could play a role in a ceasefire in Sudan. The Foreign Ministry offered to host a negotiation summit in Israel to reach an agreement that would allow the end of violence and war in the country.

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, who visited Khartoum about three months ago, is working to promote calm, which will allow the signing of a historic peace agreement between Israel and Sudan in the near future.

Israel has been working behind the scenes through various channels to bring about a ceasefire, the Foreign Ministry said, adding that “progress made in recent days during talks with the [Sudanese] parties is very encouraging.

Levy and other senior officials have spoken to those on both sides of the Sudanese civil war in Sudan, in an effort to end the fighting, the Foreign Ministry explained. It has seemed possible that a meeting could be held in Israel to further advance dialogue toward a ceasefire.

Israeli efforts have been coordinated with the United States and other parties in the Middle East.

US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters in Washington on Monday that the White House and State Department as well as the US Ambassador had been in contact with Sudanese rival factions to reach a ceasefire.

“We will keep working with close partners in pushing the two sides to try to...get a permanent cease-fire in place,” Kirby added. “We see the risk of protracted conflict but we see a possibility...that we could get to a cease-fire.”

Blinken said the United States would “coordinate with regional and international partners, and Sudanese civilian stakeholders, to assist in the creation of a committee to oversee the negotiation, conclusion, and implementation of a permanent cessation of hostilities and humanitarian arrangements in Sudan.  

“We will continue to work with the Sudanese parties and our partners toward the shared goal of a return to civilian government in Sudan,” he said.

Reuters contributed to this report.