Asmaa Al-Husseini (Cairo)
Sudan’s neighboring countries affirmed yesterday their agreement on the need to launch an inclusive dialogue for all Sudanese parties, pointing to full respect for Sudan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-interference in its affairs and considering the current conflict an internal matter.
In a joint statement, the leaders of the seven countries neighboring Sudan called on both sides of the conflict to abide by the ceasefire, and agreed to facilitate the delivery of aid.
In the closing statement of the summit of Sudan’s neighboring countries, which was hosted by Cairo yesterday and delivered by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, they indicated the launch of an inclusive dialogue that meets the aspirations of the Sudanese people, pointing to the formation of a ministerial mechanism on the Sudanese crisis, the first meeting of which will be in Chad.
They also warned of the possibility of the disintegration of the state of Sudan or its “fragmentation and the spread of chaos factors, including terrorism and organized crime, in its vicinity.”
Fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in the capital, Khartoum, last April, and fueled a sharp escalation in violence in the troubled state of Darfur. Fighting also broke out in the states of North Kordofan, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile.
More than three million people have been displaced, of whom 700,000 have moved to neighboring countries, while the United Nations has warned of an increasing hunger crisis.
Saudi Arabia and the United States brokered several ceasefire agreements in Sudan, but suspended the talks in Jeddah due to violations by both sides of the conflict. Earlier this week, Ethiopia hosted a regional summit of East African countries.
And the final statement announced, at yesterday’s summit, that the neighboring countries of Sudan agreed to express their deep concern about the crisis in Sudan, agreed to respect Sudan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and affirmed the rejection of any external interference.
He pointed to the agreement on the importance of dealing with the current humanitarian crisis and its comprehensive consequences towards the crisis in Sudan, adding that it was agreed on the need to provide relief aid to Sudan, and agreed to ensure the entry of humanitarian aid to Sudan.
Yesterday, the work of the “Sudan’s Neighboring Countries” summit began to discuss ways to end the current conflict and its negative repercussions on neighboring countries, and to take steps to stop the bloodshed of the Sudanese people. The conference aims to achieve a peaceful and effective settlement of the crisis in Sudan through coordination between neighboring countries and other regional and international tracks, in a way that preserves the unity and capabilities of the Sudanese state.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi called on the international community, which pledged $1.5 billion during a summit held in June, to “fulfill its pledges, by supporting Sudan’s neighboring countries most affected by the negative consequences of the crisis.”
And the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, considered that the Sudanese crisis can only be resolved through solidarity and unity. He added, “Ethiopia calls for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan.”
For his part, Chadian President Mohamed Idriss Deby Itno said: “Within one week, we received more than 150,000 people, the majority of them women and children” fleeing from Darfur. Central African President Faustin-Archange Touadera denounced the “high prices” and “lack” of materials in the border areas, warning of the high level of “transfer of light weapons across porous borders.”
The seven countries meeting in Cairo, along with the Secretary-General of the Arab League and his counterpart in the African Union, affirmed in a joint statement that they will do everything in their power to prevent Sudan from becoming a “haven for terrorism and organized crime.”
Analysts and politicians considered that the summit opened the door for broader regional cooperation, while Jaafar al-Sadiq Muhammad Othman al-Mirghani, head of the Democratic Bloc and deputy head of the originally Democratic Unionist Party, praised the outcomes of the summit.
Al-Mirghani praised the positive signals contained in the speeches of the presidents and leaders, which stress the support of the state and the Sudanese people and call for a cease-fire and entering into an inclusive political dialogue to resolve the Sudanese crisis.
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