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CAIRO, Jan 16 (NNN-AFRICANEWS) — Sudan peace efforts resumed in Cairo as Egypt, the United Nations and the United States called for the warring parties to agree to a nationwide humanitarian truce, as the war between the army and its rival paramilitary nears the three-year mark.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told reporters that Egypt wouldn’t accept the collapse of Sudan or its institutions, or any attempt to undermine its unity or divide its territory, describing such scenarios as “red lines.”
Abdelatty said during a joint news conference with Ramtane Lamamra, the UN secretary‑general’s personal envoy for Sudan, that Egypt won’t stand idly and won’t hesitate to take the necessary measures to help preserve Sudan’s unity.
″There is absolutely no room for recognising parallel entities or any militias. Under no circumstances can we equate Sudanese state institutions, including the Sudanese army, with any other militias,” he said on the sidelines of the fifth meeting of the Consultative Mechanism to Enhance and Coordinate Peace Efforts.
Lamamra said that the fifth such meeting demonstrated that diplomacy remains a viable path toward peace.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, and the military have been at war since April 2023. The conflict that has seen multiple atrocities and pushed Sudan into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Although repeated attempts at peace talks have failed to end the war, Abdelatty said that there’s a regional agreement to secure an immediate humanitarian truce, including certain withdrawals and the establishment of safe humanitarian corridors.
Massad Boulos, the senior US adviser for Arab and African Affairs, also took part in the meeting.
Meanwhile, the United Nations has warned that food aid in Sudan is at risk of running out by the end of March unless urgent new funding is secured, threatening millions in what is already the world’s largest hunger crisis.
After nearly three years of civil war between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, humanitarian conditions have deteriorated sharply. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and around 11 million displaced by the fighting.
The World Food Programme says its food stocks in Sudan are almost exhausted. Its Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response, Ross Smith, said the agency has already been forced to cut rations to the “absolute minimum for survival” and warned that, without immediate support, millions could lose access to life-saving assistance within weeks.
According to the UN, more than 21 million people — nearly half of Sudan’s population — are now facing acute food insecurity. Famine has been confirmed in El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, and in Kadugli in neighbouring Kordofan, both heavily affected by fighting.
The UN says famine conditions are also likely in other areas, including parts of Dilling and displacement camps around El-Fasher, though insecurity has limited access for assessments. Aid agencies are urging donors to act quickly to prevent a further humanitarian catastrophe.Comments:
— NNN-AFRICANEWS