Geneva – The United Nations has declared that talks between the warring parties in Sudan are an “encouraging first step,” hours before the end of a meeting between the two sides in Geneva, in which an envoy from the international organization participated.
UN spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci said that Algerian diplomatic envoy Ramtane Lamamra “is optimistic regarding the readiness of the two delegations to engage with him on critical issues related to the situation in Sudan, for which he seeks the necessary cooperation from the warring parties.”
She added that the UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy to Sudan “is now counting on both parties to translate their desire to engage in dialogue with him quickly into tangible progress on the ground, whether in implementing existing agreements or through possible unilateral commitments.”
Fighting has been raging in Sudan since April 2023 between the army led by Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces led by Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo Hemeti.
The talks were attended by experts in humanitarian, security and military affairs from both sides, and focused in particular on humanitarian aid and the protection of civilians.
The talks took place from July 11 to 19 in Geneva in closed sessions. Lamamra met the two delegations alternately. Vellucci said there were regarding 20 sessions.
It is noteworthy that the conflict in Sudan has led to the killing of thousands and the displacement of more than 10 million people, according to the United Nations.
A UN-backed report released late last June said that regarding 25.6 million people, more than half of Sudan’s population, are currently facing “severe food insecurity.”
The US Permanent Representative to the Security Council, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, stressed that there is no military solution in Sudan and said that her country is exerting pressure on countries that provide weapons to both parties to the conflict.
“We are doing more than just talking, we are putting pressure on these countries, and it’s not just one country, it’s several countries, it’s not just one side, it’s both sides, and that’s why this war is going on,” Greenfield said. “We are doing more than just talking in terms of engaging with them.”
Source: Al Jazeera + Agencies
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2024-07-21 04:29:54
