Sudan peace talks begin in Switzerland despite army’s no-show
- UN officials warn the country is at ‘breaking point’, amid a 16-month-old civil war and a humanitarian crisis threatening thousands of lives
Talks aimed at ending Sudan’s shattering 16-month-old civil war began on Wednesday in Switzerland although the absence of the military dampened hopes for imminent steps to alleviate the country’s humanitarian crisis.
UN officials have warned that Sudan is at “breaking point” and that there will be tens of thousands of preventable deaths from hunger, disease, floods, and violence in the coming months without a larger global response.
The paramilitary RSF, which has seized broad swathes of the country, sent a delegation to the talks but direct mediation will be impossible without the army present, US special envoy Tom Perriello, who led the push for the talks, said this week.
Instead, participants including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the United Nations, African Union, East African body IGAD and experts would consult on road maps for a cessation of violence and carrying out humanitarian aid deliveries.
“Military operations will not stop without the withdrawal of every last militiaman from the cities and villages they have plundered and colonised,” Sudanese armed forces chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said late on Tuesday.
The RSF leadership has denied many accounts of fighters attacking civilians and looting, and says it is open to a peace deal if the army engages in talks.