Sudan's rival parties in Geneva for UN-hosted ceasefire talks

Alliance won't say whether it was Sudanese army or RSF paramilitary that did not attend discussion

Fighting in Khartoum. The UN says more than 14,000 people have been killed in Sudan's civil war but analysts say the death toll could be far higher. AP

Sudan’s warring parties have arrived in Geneva at the invitation of the UN to discuss the protection of civilians through localised ceasefires, UN officials said on Thursday. But one side did not show up for the talks on the first day.

Senior representatives from the Sudanese army and rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces accepted invitations to meet the UN Secretary General’s personal envoy Ramtane Lamamra separately, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Mr Lamamra said that on Thursday morning “regrettably one of the delegations did not come to the session”.

Mr Dujarric would not say which delegation did appear but he said Mr Lamamra and his team met those representatives, then invited both delegations to continue discussions on Friday.

Sudanese RSF fighters, led by Gen Mohamed Dagalo, have been embroiled in a civil war with the national army for more than a year. AP

“We urge the Sudanese delegations to rise to the challenge and engage in constructive discussions with the personal envoy for the sake of the Sudanese people,” he said.

Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE’s Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs, also called on Thursday for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan, cross-border access for humanitarian aid throughout the country and a political process that leads to civilian transition.

“We need to see a scale-up of humanitarian aid,” she said in a recent interview on CNN. "The weaponisation of food aid is unacceptable in Sudan, just as it was unacceptable in Gaza. The application of international humanitarian law is a prerequisite for a secure, stable Sudan."

Sudan was plunged into conflict in mid-April last year when long-simmering tensions between its military and paramilitary leaders broke out in the capital, Khartoum, and spread to other regions including Darfur. The UN says more than 14,000 people have been killed and 33,000 injured. Human rights activists say the death toll could be much higher.

The war has also created the world’s largest displacement crisis with more than 11 million people forced to flee their homes, as well as allegations of sexual violence and crimes against humanity. International experts recently warned that 755,000 people are facing famine in the coming months.

Talks in Saudi Arabia’s port city of Jeddah between the Sudanese military and the RSF broke down at the end of last year.

After months of failed efforts to resume negotiations, Mr Dujarric said the UN did not publicise the meeting because it did not want to raise expectations.

“We and others have been trying to move this process forward,” he said. “We need to give it a little bit of breathing room and that’s why we’re not trumpeting all of this.”