Khartoum, June 25 (Darfur24)
Sudan’s government on Thursday welcomed a proposal by the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy to Sudan, Pekka Haavisto, to establish a humanitarian mechanism for exchanging prisoners of war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Foreign Minister Mohi El-Din Salem said in a statement carried by the Sudan News Agency (SUNA) that the government supports the initiative, which calls for cooperation between the Sudanese government, the UN envoy’s office, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Salem said the government remains committed to protecting the lives of Sudanese citizens across the country and will adhere to the legal and international procedures governing prisoner exchanges.
The foreign minister did not disclose further details of the proposal.
Since his appointment in February, Haavisto has made several visits to Sudan, where he met army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. He also met RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo in Nairobi in April and held a telephone conversation with him last week. Following those engagements, the UN envoy has repeatedly called for de-escalation and confidence-building measures between the warring parties as part of broader efforts to end the conflict.
While the full details of the initiative have yet to be made public, it is expected to establish a humanitarian cooperation mechanism involving the Sudanese government, the UN envoy’s office, and the ICRC to facilitate prisoner exchanges, including the compilation and verification of lists of detainees held by both sides.