ADDID ABABA: African Union (AU) commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat is preparing to “immediately” go on a ceasefire mission to Sudan, the organization said Sunday, as fighting continued for a second day between the paramilitaries and army.
Following an emergency session, the AU said in a statement that it requested the chief of the AU Commission to continue using his good offices and engage with the parties to the conflict to facilitate talks and a peaceful resolution of the problem in Sudan.
No more details were immediately available on the chief’s mission.
Expressing serious concern and alarm, the pan-African organization also called on the forces of the battling sides to “protect civilians, particularly women and children”.
Commission urges warring parties
It also urged the warring sides to swiftly embrace an inclusive dialogue and peaceful solution to end their differences. It said it strongly rejects any external interference that could further complicate the situation in Sudan.
Violence in Sudan started early Saturday after weeks of a power struggle between Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the army chief, and his deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, commander of the fully-armed paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
More than fifty civilians, including 3 UN staff, have been killed in the fighting.
