A sixth round of United Nations-backed talks aimed at addressing the war in Sudan has ended without tangible results, as international representatives failed to secure a breakthrough towards resolving the conflict that has displaced millions and left more than 33 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.
The discussions in Geneva focused primarily on establishing confidence-building measures between the warring parties, including the exchange of prisoners of war, said Pekka Haavisto, the UN envoy for Sudan. However, neither the Sudanese government nor the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attended the meeting, limiting the prospects for direct progress towards ending the fighting.
Representatives from 21 countries and five international institutions took part in the discussions. Participants included officials from the United States, China, Germany, Egypt, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), reflecting the involvement of regional and international powers in efforts to address the conflict.
The diplomatic discussions took place amid competing regional alignments. Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey support the Sudanese army, while the UAE is regarded as an ally of the RSF. Despite the participation of these countries and other international actors, the meeting produced no significant advances in efforts to resolve the war.
Sudan’s government and the RSF have been fighting for control of the country since April 2023. The conflict has triggered one of the world’s most severe humanitarian emergencies, according to the United Nations, with millions of people forced to flee their homes and large numbers requiring urgent assistance.
More than 33 million people in the north-east African country need humanitarian aid, according to UN information. Approximately 11.3 million people have been displaced within Sudan or have fled across its borders, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, has reported.
The humanitarian crisis has continued as attacks have been reported in several parts of Sudan, including drone strikes this week. One of the deadliest reported incidents occurred at a market on the border between Sudan and South Sudan, where 153 people were killed, according to Yohana Akol Ngor, information minister for the Abyei region.
Ngor blamed the Sudanese army for the attack, the radio station Tamazuj reported. The reported death toll and attribution were provided by the regional official; the account did not include a response from the army.
Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, has also been targeted in several drone attacks, according to the United Nations. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) cited reports that one civilian had been killed in the capital.
The continued attacks and large-scale displacement have added to the difficulties facing international efforts to address the conflict. At the Geneva meeting, Haavisto said the emphasis had been on securing measures that could help build trust between the opposing sides, including arrangements for exchanging prisoners of war, rather than reporting a substantive breakthrough in negotiations.
With the government and the RSF absent from the talks, the sixth round ended without a tangible outcome, while the United Nations continues to describe Sudan’s humanitarian emergency as one of the most severe crises worldwide.
