Egypt calls for peaceful dialogue to end conflict in Sudan

ISTANBUL

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday called for launching a peaceful dialogue to end the conflict in Sudan.

Sisi held talks in Cairo with Malik Agar, the deputy leader of Sudan’s ruling Transitional Sovereignty Council.

According to the Egyptian Presidency, Sisi underlined the importance of a permanent cease-fire and “initiating an all-encompassing peaceful dialogue that fulfils the Sudanese people's desire for security, stability, and development.”

He said Egypt “is exerting every effort to reach a cease-fire, prevent bloodshed, and advance the peace process.”

Agar, for his part, praised Egypt’s efforts to maintain stability in Sudan.

During the meeting, the Sudanese official briefed the Egyptian president on the latest developments in Sudan, the statement said.

Sudan has been ravaged by fighting between the army and the RSF since April. Nearly 1,000 civilians have been killed and thousands injured in the violence, according to local medics.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that more than 2.2 million people have been displaced by the current conflict.

Sudan’s warring rivals started a 3-day cease-fire on Sunday brokered by Saudi and US mediators on Sunday.

A disagreement had been fomenting in recent months between the army and the RSF about the integration of the paramilitary group into the armed forces -- a key condition of Sudan's transition agreement with political groups.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since the fall of 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."

The transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, had been scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi