BERLIN (AP) — A week of indirect conversations with Sudan’s warring parties ended Friday in Geneva, the UN secretary-general’s personal envoy said. He described the talks as an “encouraging first step” in a complex process.
Representatives of the Sudanese military and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces accepted invitations to meet separately with the envoy, Ramtane Lamamra, who began the talks on July 11. He said in a statement that his team held about 20 sessions in total with the parties’ delegations.
Sudan got into conflict in mid-April 2023, when long-simmering tensions between military and paramilitary leaders erupted in the capital Khartoum, and spread to other regions including Darfur. The UN says more than 14,000 people have been killed and 33,000 wounded. Human rights activists say the death toll could be much higher.
The war also created the world’s largest crisis of displacement with more than 11 million people forced to flee their homes, as well as allegations of widespread sexual violence and possible crimes against humanity. International experts recently warned that 755,000 people face famine in the coming months.
Late last year, talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces stalled.
The Geneva talks focused on measures to ensure the distribution of humanitarian aid and protect civilians across Sudan. Lamamra said he was “encouraged by the willingness of the parties to engage with me on these critical issues, and by the commitments made to respond to a number of specific requests that we put to them.” He did not elaborate.
“The talks in Geneva are an encouraging first step in a longer and complex process,” Lamamra said.
