CAIRO: Sudan’s top military officer is travelling to Egypt today (Tuesday) for his first foreign trip since the country was plunged into bitter conflict this year, authorities said.
General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, chairman of the ruling Sovereign Council, is expected to hold talks with Egyptian President Abdal Fattah El-Sisi on the latest developments in Sudan, the council said in a statement.
Sudan was plunged into chaos in mid-April when simmering tensions between the Burhan-led army and the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commanded by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo erupted into open fighting in the capital Khartoum and elsewhere.
The conflict has reduced the capital to an urban battlefield, with the RSF controlling large swathes of the city. The military command, where Burhan has reportedly been based since April, was one of the epicenters of the conflict.
Last week, Burhan managed to leave the military headquarters where he had been stationed since the outbreak of the conflict. He visited military installations in Khartoum’s sister city Omdurman and elsewhere in the country. Burhan travelled to Egypt from the Red Sea coastal city of Port Sudan.
Despite months of fighting, neither side has been able to gain control of the capital Khartoum or other key areas in the country. Last week, large explosions and plumes of black smoke were seen over key areas of the capital, including near its airport.
Egypt has a long-standing relationship with the Sudanese military and its top generals. In July, El-Sisi held a meeting of Sudan’s neighbours and announced a plan for a ceasefire. A series of fragile ceasefires brokered by the US and Saudi Arabia have failed to hold.
The conflict has left Khartoum and other areas as battered battlefields. A large number of people are living without water and electricity, and the country’s healthcare system has nearly collapsed.
The vast region of Darfur has seen some of the worst bouts of violence in the conflict, with fighting there escalating into ethnic clashes with the RSF and allied Arab militias targeting ethnic African communities.
Clashes have also increased in South Kordofan and West Kordofan provinces during month.
According to the UN human rights office, the fighting is estimated to have left at least 4,000 dead, although activists and doctors on the ground say the death toll is likely to be much higher.
According to the UN migration agency, more than 4.6 million people have been displaced. These include more than 3.6 million who have fled to safer areas in Sudan and more than 1 million others who have crossed into neighbouring countries.
