France, Aug. 16 -- A secret meeting in Zurich between Sudanese army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and US envoy Massad Boulos has raised hopes of progress towards ending Sudan's brutal war and getting more humanitarian aid to the millions forced from their homes. But Africa researcher Roland Marchal warns that neither the Sudanese army nor its rival forces can win enough on the battlefield to secure a stronger negotiating position.

Sudan's conflict has claimed more than 150,000 lives, displaced over 10 million people and left millions more trapped without aid as deliveries are blocked by both sides.

As al-Burhan and Boulos consider their next moves, Marchal told RFI that battlefield gains are unlikely to give either al-Burhan or R...