Last April, a fierce conflict broke out between rival armies over a proposed transition to civilian rule, following a military coup in 2021 and the ouster of long-serving President Omar Al-Bashir in 2019.
UN spokesperson in Geneva Alessandra Vellucci confirmed that only one of the delegations attended the initial talks, after senior representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces accepted invitations to meet the delegation. Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra.
‘Proximity’ conversations continue
Despite Thursday’s setback, Mr Lamamra and his team invited both sides to continue talks with him separately in the Swiss city on Friday, in a process known as proximity talks.
“The engagement continues today,” said Ms Vellucci, director of the UN Information Service at the UN in Geneva. “We urge them to engage… The humanitarian situation in Sudan is deteriorating by the day. So we really need to look at the devastating impact that this is having on the civilian population. And we urge the delegations to rise to this challenge and engage in constructive discussions.”
Humanitarian emergency
The development comes as international pressure mounts to end the fighting, which has displaced millions of people and raised fears of a looming famine.
The humanitarian community has also warned of the widespread unrest caused by the conflict, which has quickly spread from the capital Khartoum to other regions including Darfur, leaving nearly 25 million people – half of Sudan’s population – in need of assistance.
More than 14,000 people are believed to have been killed and 33,000 wounded in the ongoing fierce fighting, which has also created the world’s largest displacement crisis. More than 11 million people have been forced to flee their homes and international experts recently warned that 755,000 people face famine in the coming months.
‘Unprecedented’ human rights violations
Sudan’s top independent human rights expert, Radhouane Nouicer, also sounded the alarm on Friday, warning that the scale of human rights violations and abuses in Sudan is unprecedented.
After visiting Port Sudan, Mr. Nouicer – who does not work for the UN and reports to the Human Rights Council – called on the Sudanese authorities to protect civilians, allow unhindered humanitarian access, stop arbitrary arrests and ensure accountability for human rights violations. He stressed the need for a comprehensive peace process and international implementation of an arms embargo on Sudan imposed by the Security Council in 2005.
Sudan: WFP responds to new refugee crisis
Meanwhile, as fighting continues further east in Sudan, the UN World Food Programme (World Food Programme) announced it would scale up assistance to displaced people in Sennar state.
Clashes around the town of Sinja – reportedly captured by the RSF on June 29 – have forced tens of thousands of people to flee, worsening Sudan’s hunger crisis, the WFP warned. Many people have been displaced for the second or third time since the conflict began, as Sennar state is home to families who previously fled Khartoum or Al Jazirah.
WFP has pre-positioned more than 2,200 tonnes of food for recently displaced families, helping 40,000 in Blue Nile and 3,000 in Gedaref. But violence in eastern Sudan threatens to cut off key humanitarian routes from Port Sudan and complicate the delivery of aid, UN aid teams warn.
Lifeline for South Sudan
Thousands more people are expected to flee Sudan into South Sudan, where resources are already stretched thin. WFP reported that 1,000 people a day are still entering the border town of Renk; to help, the UN agency has scaled up its response, now supporting 1.4 million people with food and cash assistance, with 91 new aid distribution points in Sudan.
WFP has continued to move food from Kosti to other locations in preparation for further access restrictions due to the fighting.