UN envoy says working to influence countries with a role in Sudan crisis
September 16, 2025 (PORT SUDAN) – The UN’s personal envoy for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, said on Tuesday he is working to influence the positions of countries involved in the nation’s crisis.
The statement comes as Sudan’s army accuses the United Arab Emirates of backing the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), while the army reportedly receives support from Iran and Egypt.
“We are working to influence the international positions that have a role in the ordeal of the Sudanese people,” Lamamra told journalists after meeting with the Forces for Freedom and Change-Democratic Bloc (FFC-DB), a key ally of the army.
He said he discussed with the bloc the UN’s efforts to protect civilians and speed up a resolution to the conflict.
“We must exert more effort so that the third year of the war’s outbreak does not become normalised,” Lamamra added. “We must bring about a qualitative leap on the ground to put an end to the suffering of the Sudanese people.”
Lamamra noted the UN is part of an international effort to improve the dire humanitarian situation in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.
RSF fighters have tightened their siege on the city, invading residential neighbourhoods and the Abu Shouk camp. The group is blocking relief, medicine, and food to the city it has besieged since April 2023.
Lamamra arrived in Port Sudan on Sunday after visiting Nairobi, where he met with several civilian groups and the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid Mohamed.
The governor of Darfur, Minni Arko Minnawi, whose armed movement is part of the Democratic Bloc, stated that his group’s meeting with Lamamra focused on besieged cities, particularly El Fasher. Minnawi added that the envoy called for saving El Fasher “as soon as possible” and affirmed his commitment to Sudan’s sovereignty.
The bloc’s spokesman, Mohamed Zakaria, said the meeting addressed the need for an inclusive political solution that excludes parties accused of war crimes.
Zakaria said the bloc proposed a two-track dialogue: a political track for all political and civil forces, and a security track between the warring parties based on the previously signed Jeddah Declaration.
The army and RSF signed the U.S. and Saudi-brokered declaration to protect civilians in May 2023, but talks were suspended after repeated violations.
Zakaria also called for the African Union to lead future dialogue, with a facilitating role for Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
However, he said the bloc expressed concern to Lamamra over his recent meetings with the “Tasis” coalition, an RSF-dominated group that has formed a parallel government in Nyala, South Darfur. Zakaria argued that engaging with the group contradicts the UN’s stated position of not recognizing such entities.