Under the auspices of the United Nations, a coordination meeting in Geneva to discuss peace initiatives in Sudan

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Today, Wednesday, representatives of 26 countries and organizations participate in a coordination meeting sponsored by the United Nations in Geneva, which aims to discuss peace initiatives in Sudan, in light of the absence of the parties to the conflict.

The most prominent participants in this meeting, the sixth of its kind, are members of the “Quad” group (the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), as well as permanent members of the UN Security Council and officials from countries neighboring Sudan, including Ethiopia and Chad.

The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to Sudan, Pekka Haavisto, said at the beginning of the discussions, “The importance of the meeting is determined by our ability to translate our urgent feeling (of the necessity of action) into concrete actions.”

The stated objectives of the consultative meeting include coordinating mediation initiatives, pushing for calm, reaching a political solution through negotiation, discussing the regional dimensions of the conflict, as well as supporting the arrival of humanitarian aid.

The countries are expected to issue a joint statement on Wednesday evening at the conclusion of the meeting held at the Palais des Nations.

The war that broke out in Sudan in April 2023 between the army and the Rapid Support Forces resulted in more than 200,000 deaths, according to humanitarian workers, in addition to widespread famine and widespread waves of displacement.

Several foreign powers, including the UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, are accused of fueling the fighting by supporting the conflicting parties with advanced weapons, while these countries deny any involvement in the conflict.

Air strikes have become a major part of the battles in Sudan, especially in the states of Kordofan and Blue Nile in the southwest and east, and most of them are carried out by drones, which are largely available to both sides of the war.

Drone attacks killed at least 1,100 people across Sudan during the first half of this year, according to the United Nations.

Haavisto continued, "As April 2027 approaches (in parallel with the conflict entering its fourth year), we must make every effort to make this station the beginning of the path towards peace, not the beginning of an additional year of war and suffering."

For his part, Swiss Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alexander Fazel stressed that the priority must be to protect civilians.

He said, "We cannot wait until a ceasefire or political solution is reached to begin protecting civilians and ensuring their access to humanitarian aid."