There is new hope for Sudan: On August 14, talks on a cease-fire in the country are to begin in Geneva. Switzerland and Saudi Arabia are hosting the talks and the US is mediating before they start. Representatives from the African Union, Egypt, the United Nations (UN) and the United Arab Emirates have been invited as observers.

But this conference is not the first of its kind. Last year, the US tried to engage in similar mediation in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, but without much success. Past talks in Geneva moderated by the UN didn't result in much either. Still, the UN Secretary-General's Envoy to Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, described the discussions as an "encouraging inital step" in a long and complex process.

The US thinks a breakthrough may be possible this time. The situation has changed, a senior US official told US broadcaster ABC off the record. Firstly, the horror of what is happening there during war necessitates involvement. Secondly, they said, there appears to be agreement among the US' partners in Africa and in the Gulf that nobody is going to benefit from further destabilization.

Additionally there are also some positive signals coming from the parties to the conflict. In a message on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, the head of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) wrote that his group was ready for........

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