Sudan war has no military solution, UN envoy says

UN envoy Pekka Haavisto said after international talks in Geneva that there is no military solution to Sudan's civil war and that a settlement must come through diplomacy.

Twenty-one countries and five international organisations attended the meeting at UN headquarters in Geneva. The Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces were not represented.

Haavisto, who is UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' personal envoy for Sudan, said both warring sides still believed they could win militarily. He said the United Nations was seeking small confidence-building measures, including possible exchanges of prisoners of war or detainees and steps to facilitate student exams.

Aid workers estimate the war has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced more than 13 million. The conflict has also created what the UN describes as the world's largest hunger and displacement crises.

The meeting was co-chaired by the UN and Switzerland and included the Quad group of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United States and the United Arab Emirates, the five permanent UN Security Council members and several of Sudan's neighbours.

Participants said they were gravely concerned about reports of atrocities and escalating drone warfare. They rejected the establishment of parallel governments in Sudan and urged foreign states not to fuel the war through mercenaries, military equipment, drones or financial support.

A seventh meeting is planned, but no date or venue has been set.