KHARTOUM, Sudan

Sudan's army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan arrived in South Sudan on Monday for talks with its leaders.

The visit is the second by al-Burhan since clashes broke out between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group in April.

Last week, the army chief visited Egypt for talks with Egyptian officials on current developments in Sudan.

Al-Burhan will meet with South Sudanese President Salva Kiir to discuss bilateral ties, Sudanese developments and issues of mutual concern, Sudan’s ruling Sovereign Council said in a statement.

The last visit by the army chief to South Sudan, which seceded from Sudan in 2011, took place in 2022.

More than 3,000 civilians have been killed and thousands injured since the outbreak of violence in Sudan in April, according to local medics.

Several cease-fire agreements brokered by Saudi and US mediators between the warring rivals failed to end violence in the country.

According to UN estimates, nearly 4.8 million people have been displaced by the current conflict in Sudan.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi