Germany calls for urgent cease-fire in Sudan

BERLIN

Germany on Friday called for an immediate cease-fire in Sudan to allow civilians to get to safety.

Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock urged Sudan’s two rival generals to stop fighting during the Muslim holiday of Eid al Fitr.

“Our demands from the responsible generals are clear. Stop the fire. Stop this meaningless violence immediately,” she said, adding that thousands of civilians were caught in crossfire.

“Allow civilians to get to safety. Let the people receive the humanitarian aid they urgently need. Resolve your conflict through negotiations, instead of devastating Sudan,” Baerbock said.

At least 413 people have died and more than 3,500 injured since the fighting erupted last Saturday between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the capital Khartoum and its surroundings.

The RSF accused the army of attacking its forces in the south of Khartoum with light and heavy weapons while the military claimed that the paramilitary force was “spreading lies” and labeled it a “rebel” group.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021, when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's transitional government and declared a state of emergency in what political forces called a "coup."