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Sudan peace talks resume in Geneva as envoy seeks de-escalation in a ‘drone war’

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Editor's note: TrendDesh reported UN warnings on Sudan's drone strikes and the war's spillover into the Central African Republic on 20 and 21 October. This report covers the peace talks in Geneva.

Sudan peace talks continued in Geneva on 21 October 2026, with nearly two dozen countries meeting to discuss a path to a ceasefire and a transition to peaceful governance that represents all Sudanese people, UN News reported. The meeting is co-hosted by the UN and Switzerland.

Sudan peace talks: Delegates at the sixth Consultative Meeting on Sudan at the Palais des Nations, Geneva
Delegates at the sixth Consultative Meeting on Sudan at the Palais des Nations, Geneva Photo: UN Photo/Elma Okic via UN News (editorial use with credit).

What Pekka Haavisto asked delegates to do

The UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Sudan, Pekka Haavisto, said the first session, on de-escalation, would explore practical ways forward. He urged delegates to use their channels of engagement to build confidence and help create conditions for a comprehensive ceasefire. Delegates were also expected to consider a Sudanese-led transitional political phase through an inclusive and credible dialogue. Haavisto said the role of the meeting was to support Sudanese people in shaping their country’s future. Neither the Sudanese government nor the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attend, because the mechanism was set up for mediators to coordinate their efforts. The meeting was the sixth in the series, according to the UN photo caption, and was held at the Palais des Nations.

Key Facts

  • Talks: Consultative Meeting on peace initiatives in Sudan
  • Date: 21 October 2026, Palais des Nations, Geneva
  • Co-hosts: UN and Switzerland
  • People in need in Sudan: about 34 million (OCHA)
  • Children out of school: 8 million (UNICEF)

“The war in Sudan has become a drone war; it kills mostly civilians.”

— Alexandre Fasel, State Secretary of Switzerland (via UN News)

A 'drone war' and a ceasefire still out of reach

The war began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, former allies who seized power together in a 2021 coup, and is now in its fourth year. “The war in Sudan has become a drone war; it kills mostly civilians,” said Swiss State Secretary Alexandre Fasel. He said famine-like conditions persist in Darfur, Kordofan and elsewhere, and that under the Geneva Conventions the protection of civilians and humanitarian access must not wait for a ceasefire. Citing OCHA, he said almost 34 million people in Sudan need humanitarian support, and citing UNICEF, that 8 million children are out of school. He also warned that conflict-related sexual violence has re-emerged as a tactic of terror. “Civilians are suffering and dying today,” Fasel said. Fasel said the 8 million children out of school was not only a violation of the right to education but an immense risk factor for a stable Sudan.

Quad, Quintet and earlier rounds of Sudan peace talks

On the sidelines, Haavisto was expected to meet partners from the “Quad” (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, UN News said. The talks, formally the Consultative Meetings on Enhancing Coordination of Peace Initiatives and Efforts in Sudan, have earlier been held in Cairo, Djibouti, Nouakchott and Brussels. They followed a day of humanitarian discussions at UN Geneva involving the ICRC and the Sudan INGO Forum.

Why It Matters: With almost 34 million people in need, Sudan is one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, and the talks are one of the few forums trying to line up regional powers behind a single path to a ceasefire.

Also on TrendDesh: Sudan drone strikes hit Abyei market and Khartoum as UN condemns attacks killing children · Central African Republic: UN urges Security Council not to cut peacekeepers as Sudan war spills over

Source: UN News, 21 Oct 2026 · UN Geneva · OCHA Sudan

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