Note on Sudan: postponement of IGAD Meeting on ceasefire

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has confirmed the postponement of the meeting of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Technical Committee on Humanitarian Assistance originally scheduled from 5-7 October in Nairobi, Kenya.
The meeting was to have been chaired by the Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Humanitarian Assistance for the Sudan, Ambassador Tom Vraalsen, and would have counted with the participation of representatives of the Government of the Sudan, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army and IGAD. High on the meeting's agenda was the extension, and possible broadening, of the humanitarian cease-fire in the Bahr Al Ghazal region that expires in mid-October. The cease-fire has permitted Operation Lifeline Sudan to intensify its relief effort in this area, where a humanitarian crisis of immense proportions was triggered by renewed fighting in late January. OCHA will continue to work with the parties to re-schedule this meeting and secure their agreement on a cease-fire extension.