Sudan War Hits Year 4: 15M Displaced, Geneva Talks Open
(MENAFN) Diplomats and international organizations convened in Geneva on Wednesday for the sixth consultative meeting on advancing peace in Sudan, seeking to sharpen coordination among rival diplomatic tracks, ease hostilities and back an inclusive process to end the war.
Opening the session, Swiss State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Alexandre Fasel said the conflict has now entered its fourth year, with famine-like conditions still gripping Darfur, Kordofan and other regions.
Fasel cautioned that the fighting is increasingly destabilizing the wider region, sending shockwaves across borders and into neighboring states. “The war is not only affecting people in Sudan; it is a threat to regional stability,” he said.
He described the crisis as among the gravest humanitarian and protection emergencies anywhere, with more than 15 million people uprooted, both within Sudan and beyond its borders.
Civilians, Fasel said, remain the primary victims, and safeguarding them and guaranteeing humanitarian access cannot hinge on a ceasefire or a political deal. He added that there is wide consensus the war cannot be won on the battlefield, and called for dialogue that is “Sudanese-driven and inclusive.”
Pekka Haavisto, personal envoy of the UN secretary-general for Sudan, said the gathering offers a chance to take stock of collective efforts, confront persistent obstacles and tighten coordination among diplomatic initiatives.
International efforts, he stressed, must complement one another and advance a common goal: ending the war, relieving the suffering of Sudanese civilians and building a future of peace, security and dignity in a united Sudan.
Haavisto said de-escalation talks would center on practical, mutually reinforcing steps to build trust and lay the groundwork for a comprehensive ceasefire.
Turning to the regional picture, he noted that Sudan’s close ties with its neighbors mean the fallout from the war reaches well past its borders.
Sudan has been consumed by war since April 2023, when the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) clashed over plans to merge the country’s military structures. The fighting has killed tens of thousands of people.
Opening the session, Swiss State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Alexandre Fasel said the conflict has now entered its fourth year, with famine-like conditions still gripping Darfur, Kordofan and other regions.
Fasel cautioned that the fighting is increasingly destabilizing the wider region, sending shockwaves across borders and into neighboring states. “The war is not only affecting people in Sudan; it is a threat to regional stability,” he said.
He described the crisis as among the gravest humanitarian and protection emergencies anywhere, with more than 15 million people uprooted, both within Sudan and beyond its borders.
Civilians, Fasel said, remain the primary victims, and safeguarding them and guaranteeing humanitarian access cannot hinge on a ceasefire or a political deal. He added that there is wide consensus the war cannot be won on the battlefield, and called for dialogue that is “Sudanese-driven and inclusive.”
Pekka Haavisto, personal envoy of the UN secretary-general for Sudan, said the gathering offers a chance to take stock of collective efforts, confront persistent obstacles and tighten coordination among diplomatic initiatives.
International efforts, he stressed, must complement one another and advance a common goal: ending the war, relieving the suffering of Sudanese civilians and building a future of peace, security and dignity in a united Sudan.
Haavisto said de-escalation talks would center on practical, mutually reinforcing steps to build trust and lay the groundwork for a comprehensive ceasefire.
Turning to the regional picture, he noted that Sudan’s close ties with its neighbors mean the fallout from the war reaches well past its borders.
Sudan has been consumed by war since April 2023, when the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) clashed over plans to merge the country’s military structures. The fighting has killed tens of thousands of people.
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