UN chief to meet Sudan's warring parties in Geneva

United Nations officials are to meet with Sudan's warring parties in Geneva, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told Saudi broadcaster Al Arabiya in Riyadh on Thursday, without disclosing a date for the discussions.

Since April of 2023, the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been locked in a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced 12 million more.

"We will be having in Geneva meetings with both sides," Guterres said in the televised interview.

The war prompted global outcry in October, as reports of mass atrocities emerged after the RSF seized the city of El-Fasher - the army's last stronghold in the western Darfur region - following a bitter 18-month siege.

Guterres also said the UN had been promised access "in the very near future" to El-Fasher, which remains cut off from communications, with the RSF controlling access to Starlink satellite services.

"Nobody behaves well but there is one side that clearly is committing atrocities of the worst character, and that's the RSF," the secretary-general added.

Asked about the prospect of dialogue, UN spokesman Farhan Haq said in New York that the body currently envisions "technical-level talks" between the sides, adding "we're hopeful that we can move ahead".

"And certainly the importance of technical-level talks is to pave the ground for something more productive down the line," he said.

Guterres had met with Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Wednesday.

Hopes for a breakthrough in talks on Sudan's war were rekindled last month when US President Donald Trump said he would help end the conflict after Prince Mohammed urged him to intervene during a visit to Washington.

Saudi Arabia is a member of the so-called Quad of four mediating nations that has intensified efforts for peace in Sudan in recent months.

Along with the US, the grouping also includes Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, two key Washington allies seen to wield the most influence over the warring sides.