The Sudanese army and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, RSF, will meet later on Saturday in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah for talks in a peace move initiated by Saudi Arabia and the United States of America.

The peace talk in Jeddah is the first real attempt to cease the fighting that has paralyzed Sudan’s administration and jeopardized the country’s political transition after years of upheaval and protests.

The Sudanese army says it has sent an envoy for the talks aimed to address humanitarian issues but there has been no official RSF comment.

A joint US-Saudi statement hailed the start of “pre-negotiation talks” in Jeddah between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday discussed a plan for the warring parties to reduce tensions in Sudan as fighting continues to spread.

The statement from the US and Saudi governments said they “urge both parties to take in consideration the interests of the Sudanese nation and its people and actively engage in the talks towards a ceasefire and end to the conflict, which will spare the Sudanese people’s suffering and ensure the availability of humanitarian aid to affected areas”.

The joint statement further expressed optimism for “an expanded negotiation process that should include engagement with all Sudanese parties”.

The peace talk was also welcomed by the Sudan’s Forces of Freedom and Change, a political grouping leading an internationally backed plan to transfer to civilian regime in the northeast African country.

International mediators have been pressing for an end to a conflict that has killed hundreds of people and sent tens of thousands of refugees fleeing abroad.

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The fighting started on April 15 between Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s army and the RSF of commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, a former militia leader known as Hemedti.

The fighting in Sudan has harmed key infrastructure and forced the closure of most hospitals in the conflict zones. UN agencies have warned of a massive humanitarian disaster if the fight continues.

Data by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project indicated that some 700 people have died — largely in Khartoum and the western Darfur region — since the conflict began.

Some 450,000 civilians have already fled their homes, including more than 115,000 who have sought refuge in neighboring countries, according to the International Organization for Migration.