The Latest Breaking News from Hemedti

U.S. negotiators taking part in talks in Saudi Arabia aimed at extending a ceasefire between rival armed forces in Sudan are "cautiously optimistic," U.S. Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said on Wednesday, as she faced criticism from senators over the administration's handling of issues in Sudan.

When conflict flared in Khartoum almost a month ago, pitting Sudan's armed forces and their heavy weaponry against a paramilitary force born out of an agile but lightly-armed desert militia, it looked like it might prove a one-sided fight.

US-Saudi-led initiative in Jeddah is the first serious attempt to end fighting that has thrown Sudan into chaos.

Khartoum residents caught between government and rebel forces have a glimmer of hope thanks to Saudi-mediated talks

Envoys from Sudan's warring military factions - the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces - were in Jeddah for talks on Saturday, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said, as international mediators pressed for an end to the three-week old conflict.

The US believes there is little chance of a ceasefire in Sudan as neither side has an incentive to stop warring. 

General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan pledged to take Sudan to civilian rule, but after going to war last month with his former partner in a military coup, that looks a distant promise.

The 2019 Sudan uprisings that ousted long-time dictator Omar al-Bashir and installed a military-civilian transitional government gave hope that the northern African country could finally transition to democratic rule. The country has been ruled by the military for most of its independence since 1956.

The UN and other humanitarian agencies are seeking detailed guarantees of safe passage from warring factions in Sudan after six aid trucks were looted.