Agencies: Darfur24
July 12(Darfur24)The delegations of the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) arrived in the Swiss city of Geneva to attend indirect talks, mediated by the personal envoy of the Secretary-General to Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that the two delegations were invited to begin discussions with the personal envoy on Thursday.
He added: “Unfortunately, one of the two delegations did not attend the scheduled session.” The Personal Envoy and his team met later with the other delegation as scheduled,” he said, calling on the two delegations to continue the discussion tomorrow.
In his daily press conference, the UN spokesman urged the two Sudanese delegations to rise to the challenge and engage in constructive discussions with the Personal Envoy for the benefit of the Sudanese people.
In response to journalists’ questions, the spokesman refused to provide information about the delegation, which did not attend today’s session with the personal envoy.
Escalation in El Fasher
On the humanitarian side, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) expressed grave concern about the fighting in the city of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, which is affecting residential areas, markets, hospitals and sites for displaced people.
Dujarric said that up to 329,000 people were displaced from El Fasher during April, May and June, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The OCHA office called for the protection of civilians, and stressed the need to provide safe passage for those fleeing the fighting. The United Nations spokesman stressed the need for both sides to stop escalation to prevent further suffering of civilians and allow the delivery of life-saving humanitarian aid without obstacles.
The United Nations and its partners continue to respond to humanitarian needs, including by trying to deliver medical supplies to the areas surrounding El Fasher, which include areas where civilians are concentrated. UNICEF is also strengthening its nutritional support in displacement sites in El Fasher and the towns of Tawila and Dar es Salam in North Darfur state.
It is noteworthy that the Sudan Humanitarian Fund, managed by the Office of ACCHA, provided funding for local partners to reach more than 7,000 people in El Fasher and Zamzam camp for displaced people with shelter materials and other vital supplies.