African leaders from war-torn Sudan’s neighbours urged an end to the fighting on Thursday as Cairo summit concluded in Egypt.
A gathering of prominent figures including the leaders of Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Chad, South Sudan, Central African Republic, and Libya, as well as representatives from the African Union and Arab League, convened in Cairo to engage in discussions regarding the ongoing war and its ramifications on the region.
Participants released a statement calling on both parties involved to establish safe passageways for the timely delivery of critical humanitarian assistance, all the while recognizing the escalating humanitarian crisis in Sudan.
The conflict has been ongoing between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who leads the Rapid Support Forces, since April 15.
Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces in a tweet welcomed the statement and thanked the participants and Egypt for hosting the summit to help end the current war.
RSF said it’s vision since the beginning of the conflict has been to bring an end to the fighting and put Sudan towards a democratic path.
The group also stressed its ready to work with all actors to “reach a comprehensive resolution to the Sudanese crisis,” and that it “remains committed to restoring a civilian led government.”
The summit held in Cairo comes in the wake of numerous attempts to mediate a resolution to the ongoing violence, including multiple ceasefires brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia.
However, despite these efforts, all of the ceasefires were violated.
East African regional bloc IGAD held talks Monday in Addis Ababa calling on the warring parties to “sign an unconditional ceasefire”.
The Sudanese army opted to boycott the gathering due to objections raised by Khartoum’s foreign ministry, which is controlled by the military, regarding the leadership of Kenyan President William Ruto in the IGAD quartet.
The Sudanese government accuses Nairobi of aligning with the RSF, leading to their objection and subsequent absence from the summit.