Cairo Sudan conf. urges “total, sustainable” ceasefire

Participants in a conference that brought Sudanese political rivals together in Cairo on Saturday underlined that it is essential to reach a "total and sustainable" ceasefire in the war-torn Arab country. During the gathering entitled: "Together to Stop War in Sudan", the conferees also called for launching an inter-Sudan political dialogue that would lead to a transitional government in the country. Representatives of Sudanese political factions, the United Nations (UN), African Union (AU), European Union (EU) and several concerned countries partook in the conference. Addressing the event, Chief of the Arab League's Sudan and African Horn Division Zeid Al-Saban said from the very beginning the Arab bloc has been working as per main parameters aiming at safeguarding Sudan, its institutions, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and thwarting interference in its internal affairs. He stressed the significance of launching an inter-Sudan dialogue to put an end to the war and resolve the Sudane se crisis as soon as possible, cautioning that failure to settle the crisis would only aggravate the anguish of the Sudanese people. For his part, EU Ambassador in Khartoum Aidan O'Hara said that it is necessary to reach a ceasefire in Sudan and to fend off attacks on civilians, calling for earmarking two billion US dollars for mitigating the impacts of the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. He hoped that the Cairo-hosted conference would come up with fruitful outcomes and reach a final solution to the several-year Sudanese crisis, underlining that the adverse effects of the crisis on neighboring countries could not be shrugged off. In this context, the EU envoy called for protecting civilians and providing security and peace for all humanitarian operations, urging all conflicting parties to adhere to international law and stop hostilities. In his keynote speech, Egyptian Foreign Minister Bader Abdelati called on the international community to honor its pledges made during the Sudan relief conference in June 2 023 and the Paris-host Sudan conference in April 2024. He emphasized that any genuine political solution to the Sudanese crisis should be based on a homegrown Sudanese vision. Source: Kuwait News Agency