'This war must end': UN and Swiss officials hold talks on Sudan conflict

United Nations and Swiss officials met in Geneva on Wednesday to flesh out a plan to end the war in Sudan.

Nearly two dozen countries joined the talks but the warring parties - Sudan’s military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces - were not represented.

"The war in Sudan is in its fourth year. In many aspects, however, the conflict has changed its face since it began in April 2023. The war in Sudan has become a drone war. It kills mostly civilians. Famine like conditions persist in Darfur, the Kordofan state and elsewhere in the country. It is the war that drives this hunger," Swiss State Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alexandre Fasel said in an opening statement.

"Cross-border inter linkages and regional dynamics are worrisome. We are hearing of spillovers into neighboring countries. The war is not only affecting people in Sudan, it is a threat to regional stability."

This is the sixth meeting aimed at finding a pathway to ceasefire and transition to a new peaceful government in Sudan.

"At the heart of that purpose must be an unwavering commitment to ending the war, alleviating the suffering of the Sudanese people, and upholding the right to a future of peace, security and dignity in a united Sudan," Pekka Haavisto, UN special envoy for Sudan, told the gathering.

"I reiterate this because it's the message I have heard consistently from Sudanese people in Sudan, across the region and further afield, whatever their circumstances, their appeal is clear. This war must end.”

The war has created what the UN has called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with more than 34 million people in need of support. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and some 11 million displaced.