Sudan’s warring parties continue talks with UN envoy

People fleeing the town of Singa, the capital of Sudan's southeastern Sennar state, arrive in Gedaref in the east of the war-torn country on July 1, 2024. (AFP/File)
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GENEVA: Talks between a UN envoy and delegations from both warring parties in Sudan are continuing in Geneva this week, focused on humanitarian aid and protecting civilians, the UN said on Tuesday.

War has raged since April 2023 between the Sudanese regular army under Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s personal envoy for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, invited delegations from the army and the RSF for talks which began on Thursday.

The discussions are taking place under the so-called proximity format, whereby Lamamra is meeting separately with each delegation at a time, in different rooms. The two delegations are not scheduled to meet each other.

Lamamra and his team had several interactions with both delegations throughout the weekend, UN spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci told a media briefing.

“The teams engaged intensively on the two key items discussed during these talks: humanitarian assistance and protection of civilians,” she said.

“The discussions are continuing this week.”

No end date has been scheduled. The two delegations are comprised of senior representatives of the warring parties and include humanitarian, security and military experts.