Talks to halt the fighting in Sudan and ease its humanitarian crisis continued in Geneva on Wednesday, where nearly two dozen countries convened to discuss a pathway to a ceasefire and a transition to peaceful governance representing all Sudanese people, UN News reported. The meeting, co-hosted by the United Nations and Switzerland, is the latest round of the Consultative Meetings on Enhancing Coordination of Peace Initiatives and Efforts in Sudan, which have previously taken place in Cairo, Djibouti, Nouakchott and Brussels. "Our first session, devoted to de-escalation, will offer an opportunity to explore practical ways forward," said Pekka Haavisto, the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for Sudan, urging delegates to use their channels to build confidence and create conditions for a comprehensive ceasefire.

"The war in Sudan has become a drone war; it kills mostly civilians," said Alexandre Fasel, State Secretary of Switzerland, which is co-hosting the meeting with the UN. "Famine-like conditions persist in Darfur, the Kordofan state and elsewhere in the country; it is the war that drives this hunger." Fasel insisted that the Geneva Conventions are clear that "the protection of civilians and humanitarian access must not wait for a ceasefire and a political solution. Civilians are suffering and dying today." The war, now in its fourth year, began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), former allies who had jointly seized power in a 2021 coup. Deadly drone attacks against civilians and public infrastructure have been a feature of the war, UN News said; on Monday, a drone strike on a market in the Abyei border region disputed by Sudan and South Sudan reportedly killed more than 150 people, according to reports cited by EuropeSays.

Across Sudan, almost 34 million people (yaani about 3.4 crore people) need humanitarian support, according to the UN aid coordination office OCHA, and eight million children (yaani 80 lakh children) are out of school, UNICEF has warned. Neither the Sudanese Government nor the RSF is represented at the Geneva meeting, which was established for mediators to coordinate their actions, UN News said. On the margins, Haavisto was also expected to engage partners from the "Quad" mechanism — the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt — and the "Quintet" of the African Union, IGAD, the UN, the European Union and the League of Arab States. The talks followed a day of humanitarian-focused discussions at UN Geneva involving the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Sudan INGO Forum, and organisers expect a joint statement outlining practical steps. Sources: UN News — Sudan conflict: Peace efforts resume to end 'drone war' fuelling humanitarian crisis (Oct 21, 2026); UNifeed / UN Media — Geneva / Sudan Consultative Meeting (Oct 21, 2026); Channel Africa — Geneva talks seek coordinated pathway to end Sudan war (Oct 21, 2026).