{"id":20122905,"date":"2025-11-12T18:17:40","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T17:17:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/?p=20122905"},"modified":"2025-11-12T18:17:56","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T17:17:56","slug":"un-presses-sudan-for-humanitarian-access-as-government-rejects-quartet-ceasefire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/en\/all-news\/article\/un-presses-sudan-for-humanitarian-access-as-government-rejects-quartet-ceasefire","title":{"rendered":"UN presses Sudan for humanitarian access as government rejects Quartet ceasefire"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Senior United Nations officials began their visit to Port Sudan yesterday, seeking to remove obstacles to humanitarian aid and ensure life-saving supplies reach millions of Sudanese affected by the conflict. The city, controlled by the de facto government, became the centre of intensive diplomacy as top UN envoys met with Sudanese authorities and their Egyptian counterparts to discuss aid delivery and humanitarian corridors.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The visit comes amid the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF)\u00a0refusal to engage with a three-month ceasefire<\/a> initiative proposed by the Sudan Quartet, which includes Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the\u00a0United Arab Emirates<\/a>, and the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sudanese Foreign Minister Mohieddin Salem told reporters after trilateral talks with Egypt\u2019s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and UN Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher that the Sudanese government does not treat\u00a0the Quartet initiative<\/a>\u00a0as official.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Quartet was not issued by a UN Security Council resolution or any international organisation, so the Sudanese government does not deal with it formally,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salem emphasised that Sudan prefers bilateral coordination and described the discussions with Egypt and the UN as reflecting \u201cfull understanding and cooperation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sovereign Council President Lt. Gen. Abdelfattah El Burhan meets with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Port Sudan on Tuesday, November 11 (Photo: Transitional Sovereignty Council)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

He said the meetings focused on the humanitarian fallout after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) entered El Fasher, sparking mass displacement and reports of killings, assaults, and\u00a0sexual violence<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salem said the talks focused on conditions for displaced people in North Darfur\u2019s Ed Dabba and Tawila, and for\u00a0civilians under siege<\/a>\u00a0in West Kordofan\u2019s Babanousa and South Kordofan\u2019s Kadugli and Dilling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He expressed concern over foreign fighters allegedly recruited by the RSF and urged international action under humanitarian law. The government plans to continue efforts to remove \u201cmilitias and mercenaries,\u201d calling ongoing attacks a \u201cdirect invasion of\u00a0killing and looting<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

El Burhan: \u2018Cooperation and Sovereignty\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his meeting with Fletcher, Head of the Sovereignty Council and Commander-in-Chief of the SAF, Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, reiterated Sudan\u2019s willingness to cooperate with the UN and its agencies, particularly on humanitarian issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

El Burhan stressed that UN operations must respect\u00a0Sudanese sovereignty and national interests<\/a>. He cited atrocities in El Fasher allegedly committed by the RSF, which he called the \u201cAl Dagalo militia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fletcher warned that the humanitarian crisis in Sudan \u201cposes grave risks\u201d and cited a recent UN Security Council session in which he expressed shock at civilian abuses in El Fasher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the UN remains committed to delivering life-saving assistance, including food and medicine, to millions of displaced people and refugees. Fletcher described his discussions with El Burhan as \u201cconstructive\u201d and said the organisation is ready to work with partners to\u00a0reach affected populations<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carlos C\u00e3o, Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme, also met El Burhan, reaffirming WFP\u2019s long-standing partnership with Sudan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

C\u00e3o said the agency delivers aid to around five million people per month, including recently accessed areas such as Kadugli.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that WFP is working to reach hard-to-access areas and to support small and medium scale farmers, including in Khartoum, where approximately one million people continue to receive assistance each month.<\/p>\n