After a week of talks in the Saudi port of Jeddah, Sudan's army and rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) signed a declaration that they would work towards a short-term cease-fire in further discussions, they said.
The army and RSF said in their agreement that they would schedule "subsequent expanded discussions to achieve a permanent cessation of hostilities."
"The two sides are quite far apart," a senior U.S. State Department official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Volker Perthes, U.N. Special Representative for Sudan, said he had spoken with one of the sides since and was assured of their willingness to keep talking.
"We expect these talks on a cease-fire to start off again from today or from tomorrow. It shouldn't technically take too long to agree on the modalities of ceasefire," he told a Geneva press briefing from Port Sudan.
A text of the declaration released after the talks said the two factions "commit to prioritizing discussions to achieve a short-term cease-fire to facilitate the delivery of emergency humanitarian assistance and restoration of essential services."
A U.S. State Department statement said the parties would focus on reaching a deal for an effective cease-fire of up to about 10 days.
The senior State Department official said the declaration signed early Friday seeks to improve the flow of humanitarian relief and begin restoration of water and electricity services.
Mediators hope it will be possible "to arrange for the withdrawal of security forces from hospitals and clinics, and to perform the respectful burial of the dead," the official said.
The World Health Organization has said more than 600 people have been killed and more than 5,000 injured in the fighting. The Health Ministry said at least 450 people were killed in the western Darfur region.
Negotiators working with Saudi and U.S. mediators will next discuss specific security measures for safeguarding relief supplies, the U.S. official said. The State Department statement said measures "will include a U.S.-Saudi and international-supported cease-fire monitoring mechanism."
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said in a post on Twitter that the talks and the commitment to protecting civilians were a first step, and "other steps will follow".
"The most important thing is to adhere to what was agreed upon, and the Kingdom will work until security and stability return to Sudan and its brotherly people," the Saudi minister said.
The U.S. official said it would be a long process to move from a temporary cease-fire, once agreed, to a permanent cessation of hostilities. But Washington hopes the two sides' willingness to sign Friday's declaration will build momentum.
Civilian groups are expected to participate later in the talks, the U.S. official said. The Forces for Freedom and Change, a coalition of political parties supporting democratic rule, called the declaration "an important first step towards ending the war" and urged the forces to abide by it.
