United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres urged the international community to mobilize and do everything possible to end the war in Sudan, stating that "what is happening is horrific." Guterres emphasized that there is no military solution to the conflict between the supporting forces of the two rival generals that began in mid-April 2023, and stressed that the continuation of the fighting "will not achieve any solution, so we must stop it as soon as possible."
In a press conference at the UN, Guterres stated that the time has come for the warring parties—the Commander of the Sudanese Army, General Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the Commander of the Rapid Support Forces, General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo—to start discussing an end to the conflict that has resulted in the deaths of at least 12,000 people and has led to the displacement of over 7 million from their homes.
The UN is working with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African Union, and the Arab League, and Guterres expressed hope to meet them at the upcoming African Union summit on February 17 and 18 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, "to see how we can unify our efforts to bring these two generals to the table" to achieve a ceasefire and create conditions for delivering humanitarian aid to those in desperate need in Sudan.
UN Humanitarian Coordinator Martin Griffiths stated in a press conference in Geneva on Wednesday that the two rival generals recently confirmed to him that they would attend a meeting in Switzerland to discuss humanitarian issues and civilians trapped in Sudan. Griffiths added, "I am still waiting to find out when that will happen."
Sudan plunged into chaos last April as street battles broke out between the army forces and Rapid Support Forces in the capital, Khartoum, spreading to other regions. The state of West Darfur, plagued by bloodshed and atrocities since 2003, has become a focal point of the current conflict, a site of ethnic violence where militia forces and allied groups launch attacks on African ethnic groups.
On Thursday, the Sudanese government reiterated its commitment to negotiating with the Rapid Support Forces in the Jeddah platform, which is sponsored by Saudi Arabia and the United States, and rejected moving the negotiations elsewhere.
Additionally, the head of the Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah Burhan, chaired a joint meeting of the Sovereignty and Ministerial Councils in Port Sudan yesterday, where they discussed the country's situation and made several decisions. Following the meeting, Information Minister and government spokesperson Graham Abdul Qader stated that "the Jeddah platform is the only venue for negotiations regarding the war imposed on the country by the militias." Abdul Qader affirmed that any other claims about negotiations either through electronic devices or anywhere else are incorrect and unfounded. He also clarified that any negotiations with any regional or international party will only take place through the Jeddah platform.
