Ankara/New Delhi: In a bid to end the ongoing violence in Sudan which has claimed over 300 lives in less than a week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has offered to mediate between the warring parties in the north African country.
On Thursday, Erdogan held separate phone talks with the chiefs of the two conflicting parties — head of Sudan’s Armed Forces (SAF) General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, a statement said.
Erdogan told the two warring leaders that Turkey has sincerely supported the transition process in Sudan since the very beginning, the statement said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urges both sides in Sudan to work together for benefit of their nation pic.twitter.com/xPPLbrBi5u
— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) April 19, 2023
Ankara will continue to stand with the brotherly Sudanese state and nation during this period as well, the President said, adding that Turkey is ready to provide any kind of support, including hosting potential mediation initiatives.
He also asked Burhan and Dagalo to do their best to protect the safety and properties of Turkish citizens and institutions in Sudan.
Erdogan’s mediation offer comes as diplomatic pressure has intensified to put an end to the violence that started on April 15 in capital Khartoum and has since spread to other parts of Sudan.
The UN, US and other countries have been pushing for a three-day truce to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
“As an immediate priority, I appeal for a ceasefire to take place for at least three days, marking the Eid al-Fitr celebrations, to allow civilians trapped in conflict zones to escape and to seek medical treatment, food and other essential supplies,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters at the UN Headquarters in New York.
The fighting in #Sudan must stop now.pic.twitter.com/cRvCpYjAjp
— United Nations Geneva (@UNGeneva) April 21, 2023
Guterres also expressed grave concern about the situation of UN personnel in Sudan, many of whom are trapped in their homes in areas of active conflict.
He pledged to continue to use his good offices, in close coordination with partners, to establish a ceasefire, de-escalate tensions and start political talks.
However, UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) has also warned that escalating military clashes in Sudan has put millions of children and tens of thousands of pregnant women at risk.
Five days of intense fighting in Sudan has already taken a devastating toll on the country’s children. If the violence does not stop, this toll will only increase, UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) Executive Director Catherine Russell said.
The fighting has disrupted critical, life-saving care for an estimated 50,000 severely acutely malnourished children. These vulnerable children need ongoing, round-the-clock care, which is being put at risk by the escalating violence, she added.
UNFPA estimates that there are 219,000 pregnant women in the capital city of Khartoum, the epicentre of the violence, with 24,000 of them expected to give birth in the coming weeks.
UNFPA joins UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in calling for the humanitarian pause to be respected so that people can access food, water, medicine and the health care they desperately need.
In response to these appeals, the RSF said that it has agreed to a 72-hour truce on humanitarian grounds. But the SAF was yet to respond.
The truce would be in place from 6 a.m. on Friday to coincide with the festival, the RSF said.
Two previous attempted ceasefires failed to take effect.
The latest hope of a temporary truce came after UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appealed for a ceasefire to allow civilians to reach safety.
The Eid ceasefire “must be the first step in providing respite from the fighting and paving the way for a permanent ceasefire”, the BBC quoted the UN chief as saying
“This ceasefire is absolutely crucial at the present moment,” he added.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also appealed to the warring military leaders separately to join a ceasefire at least until Sunday.
Blinken “expressed grave US concern about the risk to civilians, humanitarian and diplomatic personnel, including US personnel” from the fighting, the State Department said.
A Sudanese army statement said that besides Erdogan, Gen Burhan had received calls from the South Sudanese and Ethiopian leaders, as well as Blinken and the Saudi and Qatari Foreign Ministers.
As a result of the unrest, between 10,000 and 20,000 people, mostly women and children, have fled Sudan to seek safety in neighbouring Chad, according to the UN.
In view of the prevailing situation in Sudan, Government of India is also constantly making efforts at various levels to ensure the safety of Indians stuck there.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday called for a contingency evacuation plan and other viable options for Indian citizens stuck in war-torn Sudan.
He said this while undertaking a high-level meeting to review the situation in the troubled African nation.
The meeting, which took place through video-conferencing, was attended by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Indian Ambassador to Sudan, and other senior officials.
PM Modi also underlined the significance of maintaining close communication with neighbouring countries in the region, as well as those with significant numbers of citizens in Sudan.
Jaishankar has already met UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York to discuss the situation in Sudan, especially the condition of Indian citizens stuck there.
Jaishankar, who was on his way to a series of visits to Guyana, Panama, Columbia and the Dominican Republic on Thursday, made an unscheduled stopover in New York to meet Guterres.
Earlier, he had spoken to the foreign ministers of the UAE and Egypt to discuss the prevailing scenario in Sudan.
Fighting between Sudan’s army and paramilitary forces has been going on since April 15, which has led to the death of more than 300 people, including an Indian citizen.
Indian foreign ministry has advised Indian citizens in the capital city of Sudan, Khartoum, not to venture to the Indian embassy as it lies in a war zone.
#SudanCrisis: @MEAIndia briefs about latest development as how the Indian Govt. is working through its diplomatic channel for Indians in #Sudan . Here you go… @SUNA_AGENCY @SudanTribune_EN @EoI_Khartoum @AfricaWnn @_AfricanUnion @AsstSecStateAF pic.twitter.com/CflT23uN5a
— Dr. Shahid Siddiqui (@shahidsiddiqui) April 20, 2023
-Dr. M Shahid Siddiqui (PhD), Follow via Twitter @shahidsiddiqui
