UN Geneva meeting to coordinate Sudan peace efforts

Sudan: meeting in Geneva to coordinate peace efforts Keystone-SDA

The United Nations and Switzerland will host a major coordination meeting in Geneva on peace initiatives for Sudan. The parties to the conflict will not be attending.

A total of 27 delegations are expected at the Palais des Nations for this sixth meeting, said Naila Hajjar, a member of the team working with the UN Special Envoy for Sudan, Pekka Haavisto. Previous meetings had taken place in other countries.

On the agenda are efforts to reduce clashes and advance the political process. In particular, it is necessary to assess how the various initiatives can reinforce one another, Hajjar explained.

Among the countries expected to attend are the members of the Quad (the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Saudi Arabia), as well as Qatar, Turkey, Germany and Norway, which are also involved.

The permanent members of the UN Security Council and international organisations active in Sudan will also take part.

On this occasion, Sudan’s neighbouring states will be involved to discuss the regional dimension of the conflict. However, neither the Sudanese government nor the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group will be represented, as Wednesday’s meeting is reserved for the ‘mediators’ in the conflict.

Nevertheless, information will be relayed to these parties, particularly following the meeting. The aim is to produce a joint statement. The delegations will be led by ministers, deputy ministers or senior officials.

Sudan has been embroiled in a civil war for the past three years. An International Fact-Finding Mission condemned a genocidal campaign by the RSF to seize control of El-Fasher, in Darfur, a year ago.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict. Nearly 13 million people have been displaced, including four million refugees. Tens of millions of people are in need of assistance.

The situation in El-Obeid in Kordofan has also been a cause for concern for the international community. The Mission will conduct an urgent investigation at the request of the UN Human Rights Council.

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Translated from French, reviewed by an English Department journalist.