The US joins the request for a ceasefire in Sudan on the occasion of the end of the month of Ramadan

21 Apr. (EUROPE PRESS) –

The Secretary of the Department of State of the United States, Antony Blinken, has joined the request of the international community to demand a ceasefire in Sudan on the occasion of Eid al Fitr, the end of the month of Ramadan, and that it last at least until that day.

The spokesman for the Secretary of State, Vedant Patel, has confirmed that Blinken has participated this Thursday in the virtual meeting of the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, with the President of the African Union, Azali Assoumani, the Secretary General of the Arab League , Ahmed Abul Gheit, and the executive secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Workneh Gebeyeh.

“Secretary Blinken has spoken separately with the head of the Sudanese Army, Abdelfatá al Burhan, and with the leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. (…) Blinken has asked both leaders military to implement and maintain a nationwide ceasefire until at least Sunday, April 23, the end of Eid al Fitr,” the spokesman relegated in a statement.

The secretary has also expressed concern about the risk that the conflict is posing to civilians and humanitarian and diplomatic personnel, including the US. He has also stressed that “the people of Sudan, the regional and international community speak with one voice” on this issue.

Guterres expressed this Thursday the need for a ceasefire, specifying that the situation is “outrageous” and that he is “horrified” by the prospect of a further escalation that puts the civilian population at risk, especially minors of school age. .

Hostilities broke out between the parties on Saturday in the context of an increase in tensions over the reform of the security apparatus and the integration of the paramilitary force within the Armed Forces, a key part of an agreement signed in December to form a new civil government and reactivate the transition.

The talks process began with international mediation after the head of the Army and president of the Sovereign Transition Council, Abdelfatá al Burhan, led a coup in October 2021 that overthrew the then prime minister of unity, Abdalá Hamdok, appointed to the position as a result of contacts between civilians and the military after the April 2019 riot, which ended 30 years of the regime of Omar Hasan al Bashir.