(CNN) The rival military factions fighting for control of Sudan will hold face-to-face talks for the first time since fighting began last month.
The meeting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is intended to end the unrest and is to take place in the Saudi city of Jeddah, according to Saudi Arabia and the US.
Clashes began on April 15 and since then a series of ceasefires have collapsed.
Saudi Arabia and the US have welcomed the start of “pre-negotiation” talks due to take place on Saturday, urging both factions to “engage actively in talks on a ceasefire and an end to the conflict”.
“(We) urge both parties to consider the interests of the Sudanese nation and its people,” the two countries said in a press release on Friday.
Hundreds have been killed and thousands more injured since the fighting began. At least 190 children have been killed and 1,700 others injured in the fighting, according to UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) figures released on Friday.
A tentative truce is currently allowing other nations to evacuate their citizens – but locals are facing deteriorating conditions and shortages of food, water, medicine and fuel.
Hospitals targeted
Meanwhile, local people in the country have told CNN that RSF fighters are trying to take control of “strategically located” hospitals that could be used as bases for the paramilitary force.
The RSF has already fully taken over Omdurman Maternity Hospital, a senior medical worker at a hospital in Khartoum state told CNN.
The source, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, told CNN he had confirmed this through interviews with several hospital staff.
He said the RSF had targeted hospitals because they needed protection from air raids, “especially after their main military bases were completely destroyed by the army in the early days of the war.”
“They have been inspecting the maternity hospital in Omdurman for the past few days. It is the largest obstetrics and gynecology hospital in the country. (The RSF has parked many of their vehicles in the hospital yard. It will provide them with very good cover… It will be impossible for the Army (SAF) to attack it from the air as the surrounding area is full of civilians , it sits in the middle of three major neighborhoods.
A second medical source, who works at another hospital in Khartoum and also wishes to remain anonymous, confirmed that RSF had taken over Omdurman Maternity Hospital.
CNN was unable to contact the hospital due to network connectivity issues in Sudan. However, it has received a widely circulated statement, reportedly issued by the administration of Omdurman Maternity Hospital, saying the hospital was “attacked” by RSF forces at dawn on Thursday.
“They managed to break into the hospital and steal about 20 million Sudanese pounds from the exchange counter, including deposits (from patients), according to the counter’s balance sheets. They also kicked out the workers from the hospital so that the hospital was under their full control and their vehicles entered the hospital (area),” the statement said.
CNN has not independently verified these claims, nor has CNN been able to reach the paramilitary RSF for their comments.
Omdurman is Sudan’s most populous city, located less than an hour northwest of the capital’s center and is often referred to as Khartoum’s twin city.
A manager at another hospital in Khartoum expressed concern about the spread of gangs in the two cities.
“These gangs are becoming increasingly aggressive, robbing banks and markets and destroying businesses. They have already stolen a large sum of money from Khartoum Bank. There is a total lack of police and the army cannot secure many roads. ‘ said the manager.