Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi received on Sunday Malek Aqar, Deputy Chairperson of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, in the presence of Egyptian General Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel.
Egypt’s presidential spokesperson Ahmed Fahmy said that the President listened to an overview of developments in the situation in Sudan.
Aqar briefed Al-Sisi on the efforts to settle the ongoing crisis in Sudan and ways of cooperation and coordination to deliver humanitarian aid and provide relief. He also praised Egypt’s sincere support for maintaining the safety and stability of Sudan at this critical juncture, including welcoming the people of Sudan to their second homeland, Egypt.
He expressed his country’s appreciation for Egypt’s active role in the region and the African continent as a whole.
Fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) broke out in mid-April as a result of a power struggle within the country’s military leadership.
President Al-Sisi affirmed that Egypt has been and will always be supportive of brotherly Sudan, especially during the delicate circumstances it is going through, taking into account the historical ties between the two peoples and the common strategic interest between the two brotherly countries.
The President stressed that a lasting and comprehensive ceasefire and the beginning of the process of peaceful dialogue, leading to the realization of the will of the Sudanese people for security, stability and development, were the priorities for which efforts should be intensified. He affirmed Egypt’s utmost efforts to achieve calm, stop the bloodshed and push forward the path of a peaceful solution, and Egypt’s full support for Sudan and its unity and territorial integrity.
“On the ground, Khartoum went quiet on Sunday, with a new three-day truce in Sudan brokered by Saudi Arabia and the United States.”
The truce includes a halt to cross-border attacks, the use of air power and artillery, and humanitarian access.
Saudi and US mediators have threatened to postpone the Jeddah talks if the two sides in the conflict do not respect the new truce.
“On Sunday morning, both sides of the conflict in Sudan began a ceasefire after two months of fighting that plunged the African country into chaos.”
Residents in the capital Khartoum and the nearby town of Omdurman reported “relative calm” in the early hours of the truce taking effect on Sunday morning after reports of heavy clashes on Saturday.
The three-day truce came ahead of a donors’ conference organized by the UN and other countries on Monday to raise funds to cover Sudan’s humanitarian needs.
According to the UN, the humanitarian response plan for Sudan reviewed this year has so far received less than 16% of the required $2.57bn, while the regional response plan for refugees of $470m has been funded by only 17%.
The number of people in need of humanitarian assistance has increased since the outbreak of the conflict in Sudan to 24.7 million, more than half of the population, as the fighting has caused the displacement of more than two million people inside Sudan and across its borders to neighboring countries.
