CAIRO: South Sudan and Egypt have offered to mediate between the warring Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who began fighting in Khartoum and cities across the country on Saturday. The offer was made in a phone call between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and South Sudan counterpart Salva Kiir on Sunday.
The two most influential direct neighbours to Sudan called on both warring sides in the power struggle to “opt for the voice of reason (and) peaceful dialogue,” according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency.
Sudan has been embroiled in violent clashes for a second day as rival generals who took power in a 2021 coup battled it out, resulting in over 50 civilian deaths, including three UN workers.
The fighting erupted in Khartoum and several towns across the country, with tanks on the streets, fighter jets overhead, and deafening explosions and gunfire.
Army chief Abdel Fattah and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who heads the heavily-armed paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, have accused each other of starting the fight.
Daglo’s forces say they control strategic sites, including the presidential palace and Khartoum airport, but the army denies this.
Intense fighting in Sudan
The violence has also spread outside of Khartoum, with fighting in the western Darfur region and the eastern border state of Kassala.
The UN has called for an immediate ceasefire, and appeals have also come from the African Union, China, Britain, the European Union, and Russia.
The AU and the Arab League are set to hold emergency meetings, but the two generals have shown no interest in talks.
The fighting broke out amid a political crisis in Sudan, where a power-sharing agreement between the military and civilians has been tested in recent months.
The Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group that emerged from the Janjaweed militias that fought in Darfur, has been accused of human rights abuses and has been a source of tension in the power-sharing government.
The Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces have clashed before, but the recent fighting has been some of the worst in years. The violence has left at least 48 people dead and dozens more injured, according to local media reports.
The offer of mediation from Egypt and South Sudan comes amid growing concern about the stability of Sudan, which has been struggling to transition to a democratic system since the overthrow of long-time dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019.
The international community has called on all sides to show restraint and engage in peaceful dialogue to resolve the crisis. The United Nations has also urged Sudanese authorities to make sure the safety and security of all civilians caught up in the fighting.
