The US reiterates that “there is no acceptable military solution” to the conflict between the Army and the RSF
July 10 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Sudanese Civil Aviation Authority announced this Sunday the entry into force of a new extension of the closure of the national airspace, except for humanitarian and evacuation flights, due to the fighting that began on April 15 between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The closure of airspace, ordered shortly after the fighting began, is intended to facilitate attacks by the Sudanese Air Force on rebel positions, particularly in the capital, Khartoum, and in its sister cities of North Khartoum and Omdurman. However, the confrontations, for the moment, have not tilted the conflict towards one of the parties.
This same Sunday, Egypt announced that it will host a meeting of Sudan’s neighboring countries this Thursday in a meeting aimed at discussing ways to end the catastrophic conflict and mitigate its impact on the countries of the region, since in the most of ten weeks of conflict that have left hundreds of confirmed deaths, although the total balance could be higher.
From the United States, the Undersecretary for African Affairs, Molly Phee, has announced that she will travel this week to Addis Ababa to participate in a meeting that will include African leaders, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African Union Commission and Sudanese civilians “committed to ending the conflict and restoring democratic governance in Sudan.”
“The message from African and international partners to the parties to this conflict remains clear: there is no acceptable military solution to this conflict,” reads a US State Department statement urging the Sudanese army and RSF to put an “immediate end to the fighting” and return to the barracks, complying with International Humanitarian Law.
In this sense, Phee has stated that it “echoes the call of the countries of the region to prevent any external interference and military support that would only intensify and prolong the conflict”, while remarking to the parties that they allow unimpeded access for humanitarian aid.
“We stand with the Sudanese people as they work in broad-based groups to resume the stalled political transition and realize freedom, peace and justice in Sudan,” Phee added.
Peace efforts in Saudi Arabia have not resulted in any meaningful agreements, and repeated ceasefires have been largely ignored. The conflict has forced more than 500,000 people to flee the country and another two million to be internally displaced, according to the United Nations.
