Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has stressed that restoring stability of Sudan, the preservation of its territorial integrity, and the cohesion of its institutions will have positive impacts not only on the Sudanese people, but for the region too.
This came in a speech by President Al-Sisi on Saturday during the meeting of the African Peace and Security Council on Sudan at the level of heads of state and government in a video conference.
Al-Sisi said that Egypt’s efforts to end the current crisis in Sudan are complementary to various relevant regional tracks, including the African Union (AU) and the Arab League (AL).
He pointed out that these efforts are based on a number of parameters and constants, the most prominent of which is the need to reach a comprehensive and sustainable ceasefire; “Sudan’s national state institutions, the main guarantee for protecting the state from collapse, must be preserved.
Al-Sisi stressed that the conflict in Sudan concerns the Sudanese brothers themselves, and therefore the role of the regional parties is to help them stop it and achieve consensus on solving the causes that led to it in the first place.
In this regard, the President also stressed Egypt’s respect for the will of the Sudanese people, non-interference in their internal affairs and the need not to allow foreign interference in their current crisis.
He reiterated that Egypt will continue to exert all efforts to end the current crisis, including by supporting the efforts of the AU and all the existing mechanisms to end the current conflict, as well as to continue to coordinate with all partners and relief organizations to support efforts to provide urgent humanitarian needs for Sudan to alleviate the deteriorating humanitarian situation.
President Al-Sisi stressed that Egypt is committed to its responsibilities in this regard, by receiving 150, 000 Sudanese citizens so far, in addition to hosting about 5 million Sudanese citizens, who are being treated as citizens.
On the ground, Fresh clashes broke out in the capital Khartoum on Saturday between the army and rapid support forces (RSF), despite a brief truce declared on Monday night, while the African Union (AU) stressed the need for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
“Fighting in Sudan was triggered by differing visions of the framework agreement signed between the military and civilian components last December, for the formation of a civilian government away from the military and the unification of armed forces, in order to return the country to a democratic path, the AU Peace and Security Council said in a statement.”
“The AU insisted that there should be no military solution to the Sudan crisis, and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities without preconditions.
“It also warned that the number of people displaced by the conflict has increased, reaching more than 700,000 as of May 9.
The Sudanese Ministry of Defence announced on Friday the call-up of the Reserve and all the retired officers and soldiers of the Armed Forces, to support the military efforts of the army, starting on 29 May.
In a statement, the Sudanese Ministry of Defence indicated that those targeted for the call-up of the reserve forces and the retirees are military veterans under the age of 65, provided that they “enjoy medical and physical fitness and the ability to bear and use weapons.
According to a Ministry of Defence, the Sudanese army said that the call-up of officers and retired soldiers in Sudan is aimed at supporting the military’s major effort to restore security and stability in the country.
“UNHCR spokesperson Catherine Mahoney has confirmed that more than 90 per cent of the nearly one million Sudanese refugees in neighboring countries are women and children, stressing the need to provide countries hosting refugees with rapid international support.”
“The needs of refugee women and children are great, said Catherine Mahoney, explaining that countries hosting refugees need swift international support.”
“Women and children refugees have fled to neighboring countries fearing violence, she said, noting that they have sought refuge in countries in need of support, such as Chad and South Sudan.”
“A spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said hundreds of thousands had made it to safety and had managed to flee across borders and receive international protection, but needed support as they sought refuge in middle-income countries that needed massive support to provide protection and meet the humanitarian needs of refugees.”
