Developments in Sudan threaten the national security of Egypt and other countries in the region, Secretary-General of the Arab League (LAS) Ahmed Aboul Gheit said in an interview with the Sada El Balad TV channel on Wednesday.
"What is happening in Sudan is a threat to the national security of Egypt and the Arab countries," Gheit said, stressing "that he will go immediately to Khartoum, if conditions allow."
"All attempts to cease fire in Sudan have so far failed," the secretary-general said, calling on the parties to the conflict to "stop shooting and try to stabilize Sudanese society." He also appealed to the Western international community, stressing the need to "continue to insist on a ceasefire in Sudan."
According to the LAS secretary-general, "armed clashes in Sudan could end within two weeks," but "rapid support forces could become time bombs in other parts of Sudan." Gheit expressed his hope that "hostilities among the parties to the conflict will cease as soon as possible and that a formula of understanding will be reached to end the crisis."
The situation in Sudan has been exacerbated by disagreements between army commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who also leads the Sovereignty Council, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), the head of the rapid support force (special forces), who is his deputy in this body. The main points of contention between the two militaries revolve around the timing and methods of forming a unified Sudanese Armed Forces and whether the commander-in-chief should be a professional military officer, as advocated by al-Burhan, or an elected civilian president, as insisted upon by Dagalo. On April 15, clashes broke out between the two entities near a military base in the city of Merowe, as well as in the capital, Khartoum. According to the country's health ministry, hundreds have been killed since the fighting began.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS