4-way meeting explores efforts to reach cease-fire in war-torn Sudan

ISTANBUL

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the US held talks to reach a cease-fire in war-torn Sudan.

A Saudi Foreign Ministry said the meeting, held on the sidelines of the meeting of the G7 foreign ministers in Rome on Monday evening, dwelt on the Sudanese crisis and efforts to reach an immediate cease-fire, enhance humanitarian efforts, and implement the Jeddah Declaration regarding the protection of civilians.

The talks also explored support for a Sudanese political process “that ensures Sudan's stability and preserves its sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity," the statement said.

The meeting was attended by Saudi Minister Faisal bin Farhan, Egypt’s Badr Abdelatty, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Emirati Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al-Hashimy.

Abdelatty, for his part, reiterated Egypt’s keenness on restoring stability to Sudan and underlined the importance of reaching a cease-fire there and boosting access to humanitarian aid, according to a statement released by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

Since mid-April last year, the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group have been engaged in a conflict that has resulted in more than 20,000 deaths and displaced nearly 10 million people, according to the UN.

There have been growing calls from the UN and international bodies to end the conflict, as the war has pushed millions of Sudanese to the brink of famine and death due to food shortages, with the fighting spreading to 13 of Sudan's 18 states.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar