UN Envoy Seeks Humanitarian Ceasefire In Sudan Ahead Of Berlin Talks

The United Nations’ envoy to Sudan has called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire as the country’s devastating civil war approaches its third year.

Speaking ahead of an international conference on Sudan in Berlin on Wednesday, Pekka Haavisto said that a pause in fighting was critical to allow aid agencies to reach civilians caught in the conflict.

“A halt in hostilities would enable relief organisations to get assistance to ordinary people in Sudan,” Haavisto said.

He also warned about the increasing use of “very disturbing weapons, like drones,” stressing the urgency of de-escalation.

Haavisto was recently appointed as personal envoy by UN Secretary-General, António Guterres.

He has described the Berlin conference as a key opportunity for the international community to both support humanitarian efforts and push for an end to the war.

Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023, when fighting broke out between forces loyal to army chief Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

The power struggle has triggered widespread violence and displacement across the country.

Prior to the conference, Haavisto met al-Burhan in the capital, Khartoum, and held separate talks with Daglo in Nairobi.

Neither leader is expected to attend the Berlin meeting.

The conference will bring together political leaders from Europe and Africa, along with civil society representatives, in a renewed attempt to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

Organisers also aim to keep global attention on what the UN has described as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, amid competing international focus on other conflicts.

The war in Sudan has resulted in thousands of deaths and displaced millions, with aid agencies warning of worsening conditions if fighting continues.