\n
<\/p>\n
NEW YORK CITY: The UN secretary-general\u2019s personal envoy for Sudan, Pekka Haavisto, joined fellow \u201cQuintet\u201d mediators in Khartoum on Tuesday for a round of talks aimed at reviving an inclusive political process that can end the conflict in Sudan, the UN said.<\/p>\n
The Quintet group \u2014 comprising the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the League of Arab States, the EU and the UN \u2014 held what Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, described as a \u201cgood offices mission\u201d to hear an assessment by Sudanese stakeholders of the political and security situation in the country, and to share reflections on efforts to advance peace.<\/p>\n
The envoys met at the Sudanese Foreign Ministry before engaging with representatives of UN agencies, Dujarric told reporters in New York. Next, they will meet Sudanese political and civilian representatives, followed by further engagements, he said.<\/p>\n
Sudan has been locked in a civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and rival paramilitary faction the Rapid Support Forces since April 2023.<\/p>\n
Haavisto arrived in Khartoum on Friday and held a series of meetings with the chairman of Sudan\u2019s Transitional Sovereignty Council, the prime minister, the foreign minister and senior government officials, as well as other political leaders and representatives of civil society, Dujarric said.<\/p>\n
Haavisto\u2019s talks over the weekend focused on \u201cpractical measures to advance deescalation and the protection of civilians,\u201d Dujarric added. He also raised the issue of the release and exchange of detainees, and stressed the importance of a single national examination process for all Sudanese schoolchildren.<\/p>\n
Haavisto called for an inclusive political process alongside concrete steps to reduce violence in the country, insisting that a negotiated settlement remained \u201cthe only viable path\u201d toward a comprehensive ceasefire agreement and a sustainable end to the conflict.<\/p>\n
The envoy is expected to remain in Sudan until the end of this week.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n