President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has said that Egypt seeks to consolidate the ceasefire in Sudan to pave the way for a peaceful dialogue and resolve the crisis.
In an interview with the Japanese newspaper, Asahi, published on Tuesday, he said that Egyptian foreign policy is based on the rejection of interference in the affairs of states, respect for the principle of sovereignty and the peaceful settlement of disputes.
President Al-Sisi explained Egypt’s efforts to stop and stabilize the ceasefire, create a climate for peaceful dialog and complete the transitional phase, in order to spare the Sudanese people from the worsening humanitarian risks of the conflict
In the same context, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry reiterated Egypt’s “firm and declared” position on the Sudanese crisis, calling for “the immediate ceasefire to preserve the blood of the Sudanese people,”
This came during his meeting on Tuesday with the envoy of the chairman of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, Ambassador Dafalla Al-Hajj Ali, in Cairo.
According to a statement issued by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Shoukry stressed the importance of the commitment of all parties to maintain the truce and not to violate it, “to allow for humanitarian relief operations, healing of wounds and starting a serious dialog aimed at resolving the existing differences”.
Shoukry said that Cairo is keen to treat the current crisis in Sudan as an “internal matter”.
“Egypt’s position was founded during meetings at the Arab League(AL), the African Union(AU) and the Security Council on “the need for all international and regional parties to respect Sudan’s sovereignty and not to intervene in the crisis in a way that fuels conflict and spills more blood”, he said.
The statement said that the Sudanese envoy conveyed a verbal message from Chairman of the Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan to President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi on “the developments in the situation in Sudan in light of the military operations that have been underway for more than two weeks,
Al-Burhan thanked the Egyptian government and people for welcoming the Sudanese citizens who fled the fires of war.”
Minister Shoukry told the Sudanese envoy that the Egyptian president had directed all concerned state agencies since the outbreak of the crisis to “provide the greatest care and hospitality for the Sudanese brothers.
Later on Tuesday, Minister Shoukry received a phone call from Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, for consultations and coordination on the ongoing developments in Sudan.
The call discussed efforts and ongoing contacts to date with the aim of reaching a permanent ceasefire to stop the bloodshed of the brotherly Sudanese people. They also discussed the humanitarian situation in Sudan and ways to support and enhance the capabilities of border countries receiving Sudanese citizens displaced from the ongoing fighting.
For his part, the European official expressed his appreciation for the efforts made by Egypt since the first day to reach a ceasefire in Sudan, in addition to the efforts it has undertaken to receive and facilitate the evacuation of thousands of citizens of European and foreign countries through its territories, in addition to hosting Sudanese citizens, the Foreign Ministry’s spokesman said.
“On the ground, a cautious calm prevailed in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Tuesday after renewed clashes late Monday between the army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) around the presidential palace in central Khartoum, despite the sixth agreed-upon truce.”
On Monday night, Khartoum witnessed airstrikes, explosions and gunshots despite a new truce agreed by the army and the RSF, as the United Nations(UN) warned that Sudan is on the verge of a humanitarian “catastrophe”.
Lter on Tuesday, Minister Shoukry received a phone call from US Secretary of State “Anthony Blinken” to consult on developments in the situation in Sudan.
Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, the official spokesperson of the Ministry of foreign affairs, pointed out that the American minister began the call by offering condolences to the government and people of Egypt on the death of a member of the Egyptian embassy in Khartoum, Mohammed al-Gharawi, praising the sacrifices made by members of the diplomatic corps working in Sudan in light of the deteriorating security conditions. The US Secretary of State also thanked Egypt for receiving tens of thousands of Sudanese citizens arriving across the border, stressing the readiness of the United States to provide the necessary support to Egypt to facilitate its carrying out this task.
The American minister reviewed the efforts exerted by the US in this regard in cooperation with the members of the tripartite and quadripartite mechanisms concerned with Sudan to reach a prolonged and sustainable ceasefire that allows humanitarian assistance to reach its beneficiaries inside Sudan, where the American minister reviewed the efforts exerted by the United States in this regard in cooperation with the members of the tripartite and quadripartite mechanisms concerned with Sudan.
Minister Shoukry was also keen to address the efforts undertaken by Egypt within the framework of both the Arab League (AL) and the African Union (AU), and through its direct contacts with regional and international actors in order to achieve the same goal.
During the call, Shoukry stressed the importance of non-interference by external parties in fueling the ongoing conflict in Sudan, in order to ensure the stabilization of the ceasefire and the protection of civilians whose lives are at risk as a result of the continuation of the armed conflict, which was agreed by the American side.
