The United Nations envoy for Sudan has met with rival military leaders as part of ongoing efforts to de-escalate the conflict, the U.N. said Monday, while warning that humanitarian needs in the country are rapidly worsening.
Pekka Haavisto, the personal envoy of Secretary-General António Guterres, held talks in Nairobi with Rapid Support Forces commander Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti. The meeting followed recent discussions with Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the Transitional Sovereign Council.
The U.N. said the meetings provided an opportunity to explore ways to reduce tensions and protect civilians. All parties expressed willingness to cooperate with the U.N., raising hopes for progress toward ending the conflict.
Haavisto also visited Cairo over the weekend, where he met Egyptian officials, representatives of the League of Arab States and members of the Sudanese diaspora.
Meanwhile, the U.N. said it is expanding its humanitarian presence in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, as conditions worsen.
Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Denise Brown is returning to Khartoum with a core team, signaling renewed efforts to scale up aid operations.
Most staff from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs remain based in Port Sudan, though several agencies have reopened offices in Khartoum after being closed since the war began.
More than 1.6 million people have returned to Khartoum in recent months despite ongoing risks from unexploded ordnance and damaged infrastructure, the U.N. said.
As Sudan approaches three years of war, the U.N. renewed calls for an immediate ceasefire, protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and unrestricted humanitarian access.
U.N. officials also warned that continued drone attacks are worsening the crisis. In White Nile state, an attack on Al Jabalayn Teaching Hospital last week reportedly killed 10 health workers and injured 22 others, disrupting services.
The World Health Organization has verified more than 200 attacks on health facilities since the conflict began, killing over 2,000 people. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, 13 such attacks killed 184 people and injured nearly 300.
The U.N. is appealing for increased funding, saying its 2026 humanitarian response plan for Sudan is only 16% funded. The plan seeks $2.9 billion to assist more than 20 million people, but only $465 million has been received so far.