The head of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) confirmed on Saturday the paramilitary group will participation in talks with the armed forces in Saudi Arabia's Jeddah.
Commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, said in a statement that he hopes the talks will "reach their intended targets" of safe passage for civilians.
The U.S.-Saudi initiative in the Red Sea city is the first serious attempt to end three weeks of fighting that have turned parts of Khartoum into war zones and derailed an internationally backed plan to usher in civilian rule following years of unrest and uprisings.