Organization of Islamic Cooperation plans to send delegation to Sudan amid clashes

ANKARA

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) plans to send a high-level delegation to Sudan for talks on the situation in the conflict-torn country.

At least 550 people have been killed and more than 4,900 injured in fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 15, according to Sudan's Health Ministry.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Jeddah-based grouping said an emergency meeting was held to discuss the situation in Sudan.

The OIC General Secretariat “affirmed the OIC position in support of the stability and unity of Sudan,” the statement said.

The pan-Islamic grouping called for “an immediate cease-fire, calm, restraint, a humanitarian truce, and a return to the path of dialogue and negotiations in order to take the transitional phase in Sudan to safety.”

The OIC said it will continue following up the developments in the situation in Sudan “to reach a peaceful process that achieves the aspirations of the Sudanese people.”

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

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."

Sudan's transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, is scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi