Egypt, South Sudan offer to mediate between Sudan’s conflicting rivals

ANKARA

Egypt and South Sudan on Sunday offered to mediate between the Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) amid clashes between the two sides.

The offer was made during a phone call between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his South Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir.

Egypt and South Sudan are next-door neighbors to Sudan.

A statement by the Egyptian Presidency said “the two leaders called for an immediate cease-fire in Sudan and appealed to all parties to calm down, let the voice of wisdom and peaceful dialogue prevail, and uphold the supreme interest of the Sudanese people.”

The two leaders offered to “mediate between the Sudanese parties as violence would only lead to a further deterioration of the situation, which may spiral out of control,” the statement said.

Armed clashes erupted Saturday morning in the capital Khartoum and its surrounding cities between the army and RSF fighters.

While the RSF accused the army of attacking its forces south of Khartoum with light and heavy weapons, the military said the paramilitary force was "spreading lies" and declared it a "rebel" group.

At least 56 people have been killed and hundreds injured in the fighting, according to local medics.

The dispute between the two sides came to the surface on Thursday when the army said recent movements by the RSF had happened without coordination and were illegal, with their rift centering around a proposed transition to civilian rule.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021 when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency, in a move decried by political forces as a “coup”.

Last December, Sudan’s military and political forces signed a framework agreement to resolve the months-long crisis.

The signing of the final agreement was scheduled to take place on April 6 but was delayed. No date has been announced for the signing of the deal.

Sudan’s transitional period which started in August 2019 was scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

* Ikram Kouachi contributed to this report.