Sudan foreign minister discusses peace roadmap and El Obeid threat in Geneva

July 1, 2026 (GENEVA) – Sudanese Foreign Minister Mohieddin Salem held talks on Wednesday with top international officials in Geneva to discuss the country’s transition roadmap and escalating security threats.

Salem met with UN Human Rights Council President Sidaharto Suryodipuro to outline the government’s peace initiative, focusing on reconstruction and human rights protections to facilitate the return of millions of displaced people.

The visit marks the second high-level Sudanese diplomatic mission to Geneva this year, following Prime Minister Kamel Idris’s trip in February to mobilize international support for reconstruction.

During talks with International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Vice President Jürg Lauber, Salem raised concerns over ongoing Rapid Support Forces (RSF) drone strikes targeting civilians and infrastructure in El Obeid.

The strategic capital of North Kordofan state faces a looming RSF assault that threatens over 563,000 residents and 105,000 displaced people, while risking aid cutoffs to the wider Kordofan and Darfur regions.

Salem affirmed Sudan’s readiness to cooperate on prisoner exchanges, referencing an initiative by UN Special Envoy Pekka Haavisto, while noting that the RSF holds more than 20,000 detainees in Darfur.

In a separate meeting with International Organization for Migration (IOM) Director General Amy Pope, Salem discussed transitioning from emergency humanitarian aid to early recovery programs in government-secured areas.

Official figures indicate that 3.66 million people have returned to their homes, including 775,741 from abroad, following military advances in Khartoum, Gezira, Sennar, and parts of White Nile and North Kordofan.

The influx of returnees has reduced the number of internally displaced persons in Sudan to 8.8 million, down from a peak of 11.58 million in January 2025.