CAIRO: Egypt will participate in the first ministerial meeting of Sudan’s neighboring countries which will be held in Chad.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Sunday headed to the Chadian capital N’Djamena to take part in the first meeting of the ministerial mechanism aimed at resolving the conflict in Sudan.
The ministerial mechanism was formed at the summit of Sudan’s neighbors held on July 13 in Cairo.
Ahmed Abu Zeid, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the foreign ministers of Sudan’s neighboring countries will discuss the security, political and humanitarian dimensions of the conflict in Sudan.
They will also discuss its effects on the Sudanese people, as well as its regional and international repercussions.
Abu Zeid said that talks will seek to develop practical proposals that will enable the heads of states and governments neighboring Sudan to “move effectively to reach solutions that put an end to the current crisis and preserve Sudan’s unity.”
A statement issued by the Chadian Foreign Ministry said that the ministers will discuss ways to stop the war in Sudan and resume the peace process, and will urge the international community to provide urgent responses to confront the humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict.
The July 13 meeting in Cairo was hosted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and attended by the leaders of Ethiopia, South Sudan, Chad, Eritrea, the Central African Republic and Libya.
Leaders at the summit acknowledged the threat the conflict poses to the region and urged the warring parties to commit to an immediate ceasefire.
They agreed to establish a foreign ministers’ working group to solve the crisis through direct communication with the various Sudanese parties.
The group will present the results of its meetings and recommendations at the next summit on Sudan.
Along with the Egyptian foreign minister, the foreign ministers of Chad, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Eritrea and the Central African Republic will take part in the N’Djamena meeting.
Since April 15, Sudan has witnessed bloody clashes between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The fighting comes after months of escalating tensions between the commander of Sudan’s military, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the head of the Rapid Support Forces, Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo.
