Sudan’s warring parties have arrived in Geneva at the invitation of the UN to discuss the protection of civilians through localised ceasefires, UN officials said on Thursday. But one side did not show up for the talks on the first day.
Senior representatives from the Sudanese army and rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces accepted invitations to meet the UN Secretary General’s personal envoy Ramtane Lamamra separately, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
Mr Lamamra said that on Thursday morning “regrettably one of the delegations did not come to the session”.
Mr Dujarric would not say which delegation did appear but he said Mr Lamamra and his team met those representatives, then invited both delegations to continue discussions on Friday.
“We urge the Sudanese delegations to rise to the challenge and engage in constructive discussions with the personal envoy for the sake of the Sudanese people,” he said.
Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE’s Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs, also called on Thursday for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan, cross-border access for humanitarian aid throughout the country and a political process that leads to civilian transition.
“We need to see a scale-up of humanitarian aid,” she said in a recent interview on CNN. "The weaponisation of food aid is unacceptable in Sudan, just as it was unacceptable in Gaza. The application of international humanitarian law is a prerequisite for a secure, stable Sudan."
Sudan was plunged into conflict in mid-April last year when long-simmering tensions between its military and paramilitary leaders broke out in the capital, Khartoum, and spread to other regions including Darfur. The UN says more than 14,000 people have been killed and 33,000 injured. Human rights activists say the death toll could be much higher.
The war has also created the world’s largest displacement crisis with more than 11 million people forced to flee their homes, as well as allegations of sexual violence and crimes against humanity. International experts recently warned that 755,000 people are facing famine in the coming months.
Talks in Saudi Arabia’s port city of Jeddah between the Sudanese military and the RSF broke down at the end of last year.
After months of failed efforts to resume negotiations, Mr Dujarric said the UN did not publicise the meeting because it did not want to raise expectations.
“We and others have been trying to move this process forward,” he said. “We need to give it a little bit of breathing room and that’s why we’re not trumpeting all of this.”
GROUP RESULTS
Group A
Results
Ireland beat UAE by 226 runs
West Indies beat Netherlands by 54 runs
Group B
Results
Zimbabwe tied with Scotland
Nepal beat Hong Kong by five wickets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2018 Maxus T60
Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder
Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km
TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
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Who is Allegra Stratton?
- Previously worked at The Guardian, BBC’s Newsnight programme and ITV News
- Took up a public relations role for Chancellor Rishi Sunak in April 2020
- In October 2020 she was hired to lead No 10’s planned daily televised press briefings
- The idea was later scrapped and she was appointed spokeswoman for Cop26
- Ms Stratton, 41, is married to James Forsyth, the political editor of The Spectator
- She has strong connections to the Conservative establishment
- Mr Sunak served as best man at her 2011 wedding to Mr Forsyth
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
