UN aid chief arrives in Saudi Arabia for talks between warring Sudanese factions

KHARTOUM, Sudan — The UN’s top humanitarian official arrives in Saudi Arabia for ceasefire talks between Sudan’s warring generals, as gun battles and airstrikes flare in the Sudanese capital at the start of a fourth week of fighting.

Multiple truce deals have been declared and quickly violated since battles erupted between army and paramilitary forces on April 15 in the poverty-stricken country with a history of political instability.

Fierce combat since then has killed hundreds of people, most of them civilians, wounded thousands and sparked multiple warnings of a potential “catastrophic” humanitarian crisis.

More than 100,000 people have already fled the country.

In embattled Khartoum, fighter jets have bombed positions as terrified residents stay barricaded indoors trying to cope with dire shortages of water, food, medicines and other staples.

Across the Red Sea in the Saudi city of Jeddah, talks are underway aiming for a ceasefire that could push efforts to bring humanitarian aid to the besieged population.

The generals leading the warring parties have said little about the talks being held in Jeddah since yesterday.