Talks to stop the fighting in Sudan and alleviate the resulting humanitarian crisis continued Wednesday in Geneva, where nearly two dozen countries met to discuss a path to a ceasefire and a transition to a peaceful governance system that represents all Sudanese people. Although international engagement on Sudan is gaining momentum, a clear commitment from the warring parties to end the fighting is still lacking.
“Our first session, devoted to de-escalation, will offer an opportunity to explore practical ways forward,” said Pekka Haavisto, the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for Sudan. He called on delegates to identify measures and use their “respective channels of engagement [to] build confidence and help create conditions conducive to a comprehensive ceasefire”.
The conflict, now in its fourth year, began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF)—former allies who had jointly seized power in a 2021 coup.
Relentless fighting, particularly in the states of North and South Kordofan and Blue Nile, has impacted far beyond the front lines as deadly attacks sweep the country. Aid operations have also been attacked repeatedly.
UN officials have urged external actors to stop sustaining the war, to end or strictly regulate drone use, and to press the parties toward negotiations. They have also called for civilian protection, unhindered access to aid, and coordinated mediation.
Deadly drone attacks against civilians and public infrastructure have been a hallmark of the war and have been frequently condemned by humanitarian and human rights officials.
“The war in Sudan has become a drone war; it kills mostly civilians,” said Alexandre Fasel, State Secretary of Switzerland, which is co-hosting the meeting with the UN.
“Famine-like conditions persist in Darfur, the Kordofan state and elsewhere in the country; it is the war that drives this hunger.”
Fasel highlighted the protections offered to non-combatants by international law and insisted that the Geneva Conventions "are very clear: the protection of civilians and humanitarian access must not wait for a ceasefire and a political solution. Civilians are suffering and dying today."
Civilians continue to be significantly impacted by the war, as widespread human rights violations are reported. These include extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, torture, and sexual violence.
Without any visible breakthrough, the conflict and humanitarian crisis in Sudan continue to deteriorate. Civilians endure relentless fighting, a worsening humanitarian crisis, severe economic hardship, and the collapse of basic services.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), almost 34 million people in Sudan need humanitarian support today. Fasel also cited alerts from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) that eight million Sudanese children are out of school.
“This is not only a violation to the right of education but an immense risk factor for a future stable Sudan. Conflict-related sexual violence has re-emerged as a tactic to terrorize and humiliate the civilian population, often targeted along ethnicity or perceived affiliations,” he insisted.
In addition to discussing efforts toward a ceasefire, delegates are expected to consider a Sudanese-led "transitional political phase that reflects the aspirations" of the country's people through "an inclusive and credible dialogue," said the UN chief's Personal Envoy, Havisto.
Havisto insisted that "our role is to support the Sudanese in shaping their country's shared future, with due regard for the diversity of their voices and experiences."
The talks, officially called the Consultative Meetings on Enhancing Coordination of Peace Initiatives and Efforts in Sudan, have previously occurred in Cairo (June 2024), Djibouti (July 2024), Nouakchott (December 2024), Brussels (June 2025), and Cairo (January 2026).
Neither the Sudanese government nor the Rapid Support Forces are represented at the Geneva meeting, as the mechanism was established to allow mediators to coordinate their actions. The Sudan Consultative Group's meeting in Geneva aims to unify peace initiatives and generate momentum for a Sudanese-led political resolution.
While Haavisto has proposed "confidence-building measures" in his interactions with the conflicting parties, the SAF and the RSF have not made a credible commitment to a negotiated ceasefire and seem focused on gaining ground on the battlefield.
On Wednesday, on the margins of the meeting in Geneva, the UN Personal Envoy was also expected to engage with key regional and international partners from the "Quad" and "Quintet" mechanisms.
The "Quad" involves the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt, while the "Quintet" involves the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the UN, the European Union (EU), and the League of Arab States.
The current talks followed a day of discussions focused on humanitarian issues at the UN in Geneva, which involved delegations, senior UN officials, and international non-governmental organizations operating in Sudan, including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Sudan INGO Forum.