Khartoum says ‘positively’ views Egypt’s initiative to resolve Sudan’s conflict

By Behram Abdelmunim

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AA) – Sudan said Wednesday it views “positively” an Egyptian initiative to host a summit of neighboring countries to look into ways of resolving the Sudanese conflict.

Egypt is set to host a summit of Sudan’s neighbors on Thursday to discuss means of ending the conflict there.

"We look positively at the Egyptian initiative to discuss ways to end the conflict in Sudan, and we hope that this summit will achieve its goals in solving Sudan's problems," Foreign Minister Ali Al-Sadiq said in a statement.

Sudan has been ravaged by clashes between the army and the RSF since April, in a conflict that killed nearly 3,000 civilians and injured thousands, according to local medics.

Several cease-fire agreements brokered by Saudi and US mediators between the warring rivals had failed to end violence in the country.

On Monday, Sudan refused to attend a regional summit chaired by Kenya to discuss ways of resolving the Sudanese crisis, accusing Nairobi of favoring the RSF.

The meeting called for deploying peacekeepers in Sudan to stop the bloodshed there.

“If outsiders get involved in any [regional] initiative, it would be difficult to achieve its goals,” Al-Sadiq said, in reference to Kenya.

The top diplomat accused Kenyan President William Ruto and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of “seeking to achieve some gains in the region."

“This will not happen at the expense of Sudan,” he added.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that nearly three million people have been displaced by the current conflict in Sudan.

Last week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the ongoing conflict in Sudan may lead to a full-scale civil war.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara