The United Nations on Thursday said Sudan’s warring parties are in Switzljerland for U.N.-led talks aimed at brokering possible local ceasefires to facilitate aid and protect civilians, saying only one side showed up for the peace talks.
War erupted in April last year between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over the integration of the forces in a transition to free elections.
The peace talks in Geneva have been convened by U.N. Sudan mediator Ramtane Lamamra, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in New York.
A U.N. spokesperson in Geneva said the parties would negotiate via Lamamra instead of meeting face-to-face.
“Regrettably, one of the delegations did not come to the session planned for today. (Lamamra) and his team later met with the other delegation as planned,” said Dujarric, adding that Lamamra had invited both sides to continue talks on Friday.
He declined to say which party did not show up for talks. Another U.N. spokesperson said the two delegations in Geneva were made up of senior representatives of the leaders of both parties.
An RSF source confirmed to Reuters that its delegation was in Geneva. The army did not respond to a request for comment.
In a speech on Thursday, Sudanese army chief Abdelfattah al-Burhan rejected negotiations unless the RSF withdrew from civilian infrastructure and homes.
“We will get full revenge for every Sudanese who has been harmed (by the RSF). There are no negotiations in Switzerland, Jeddah, or anywhere else,” he said in a video of the speech seen by Reuters.
The U.N. effort is the latest in a series of mediation attempts by various countries and entities, none of which have succeeded in achieving a sustained pause in fighting. Talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between the army and RSF sponsored by the United States and Saudi Arabia broke down at the end of 2023.
Meanwhile, the RSF on Thursday continued its attempt to take over Sennar state, as part of its effort to consolidate its control over the centre and west of the country, displacing more than 200,000 people according to state news agency SUNA.
“We urge the Sudanese delegations to rise to the challenge and engage in constructive discussions with (Lamamra), for the sake of the Sudanese people,” Dujarric said.
