ISTANBUL

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and United Arab Emirates' President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Thursday discussed the ways to stop the conflict in Sudan over the phone.

The leaders addressed the efforts of Cairo and Abu Dhabi to deescalate the situation in Sudan, return to dialogue and reestablish the political path, Egypt's presidential spokesperson Ahmed Fahmy said in a statement.

All these efforts were carried out as a part of the support given to the Sudanese people in their efforts to achieve the goals of boosting security, stability and development in the country, it added.

Fighting erupted Saturday between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the capital Khartoum and its surroundings.

The RSF accused the army of attacking its forces in the south of Khartoum with light and heavy weapons, while the military claimed that the paramilitary force was “spreading lies,” and labeled it a “rebel” group.

On Tuesday, the two conflicting rivals agreed to a 24-hour cease-fire, but traded accusations of violating the temporary truce.

They agreed to a new temporary cease-fire Wednesday.

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 what political forces called a "coup."