Cairo: EgyPulse – News Desk
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi urged an end to the humanitarian tragedy in Sudan, particularly in and around El Fasher city, while emphasizing the need to preserve the country’s unity and sovereignty. The Egyptian president made the remarks as he discussed the Sudanese crisis with Kenyan President William Ruto on Tuesday, stressing the link between the situation in Sudan and Egypt’s national security.
El-Sisi reaffirmed Egypt’s support for Sudan’s national state institutions and underscored ongoing Egyptian efforts to de-escalate the crisis through the Quad framework. President Ruto praised Egypt’s initiatives to resolve the crisis and expressed his desire for closer coordination with Egypt on Sudan. El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur in western Sudan, has been at the center of ongoing violence and humanitarian distress over the past two years.
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, which has been battling the Sudanese Armed Forces since April 2023, captured El Fasher in October after 18 months of siege, reportedly killing hundreds. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said they have received “horrendous accounts of summary executions, mass killings, rapes, attacks against humanitarian workers, looting, abductions and forced displacement” since El Fasher fell to the RSF on 23 October.
The United Nations on Monday reported that nearly 89,000 people have fled El Fasher since then. Figures of casualties vary but some sources estimate that over 150,000 people are estimated to have been killed since the start of the war. The UN estimated last week that 12 million Sudanese people have been displaced by the conflict so far.
Egypt has engaged in intensive efforts to support Sudan, both politically and through humanitarian assistance, and resolve the crisis, including through a Quad mechanism alongside the United States, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. A joint statement by the four countries in September outlined a proposal for a three-month humanitarian truce, followed by a permanent ceasefire and a nine-month transition toward a civilian-led government.
