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“Our first session, devoted to de-escalation, will offer an opportunity to explore practical ways forward,” said Pekka Haavisto, the Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy to Sudan, in a call for delegates to identify steps and use their “respective channels of engagement” [to] build confidence and help create conditions conducive to a comprehensive ceasefire.”
Now entering its fourth year, the conflict began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – former allies who together seized power in a 2021 coup.
Deadly drone attacks on civilians and public infrastructure have become a feature of the war and are frequently condemned by humanitarian and human rights officials.
“The war in Sudan has become a drone war; it has largely resulted in civilian casualties,” said Alexandre Fasel, Switzerland’s foreign minister, who co-hosted the UN meeting. “Famine-like conditions continue to exist in Darfur, Kordofan state, and elsewhere in the country; it is war that is driving these famines.”
Highlighting the protections afforded to non-combatants under international law, Fasel emphasized that the Geneva Conventions “are very clear: protection of civilians and humanitarian access must not wait for ceasefires and political solutions. Civilians are suffering and dying today.”
Millions of people need it
Across Sudan today, nearly 34 million people need humanitarian assistance, according to the UN aid coordination office, Ochasaid Mr. Fasel. He also cited the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warns that eight million Sudanese children are out of school today.
“This is not only a violation of the right to education but also a huge risk factor for Sudan’s stable future. Conflict-related sexual violence has re-emerged as a tactic to terrorize and humiliate civilians, often targeted based on their ethnicity or affiliation,” he stressed.
In addition to discussing efforts towards a ceasefire, delegates are expected to consider “a transitional political phase that reflects the aspirations” of the country’s people, through “inclusive and credible dialogue”, said the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Havisto, while stressing that “our role is to support Sudan in shaping the future of their country, taking into account the diversity of their voices and experiences”.
Last round of talks
The talks, officially known as the Consultative Meeting on Improving Coordination of Peace Initiatives and Efforts in Sudan, have previously taken place in Cairo twice (June 2024 and January 2026) and in Djibouti (July 2024), Nouakchott (December 2024) and Brussels (June 2025) and Cairo (January 2026).
Neither the Government of Sudan nor the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) were represented at the meeting in Geneva, due to the mechanisms set up for mediators to coordinate their actions.
On the sidelines of Wednesday’s meeting in Geneva, the UN Personal Envoy is also expected to engage with key regional and international partners of the so-called “Quad” mechanism – involving the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt – and the “Quintet” mechanism of the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the UN, the European Union and the League of Arab States.
The current talks are a continuation of discussions that also focused on humanity at the UN Geneva involving delegates, senior UN officials and international non-governmental organizations operating in Sudan including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Sudan INGO Forum.
