The head of the Sudanese army, at war against the paramilitaries, welcomed a Turkish initiative aimed at resolving the bloody conflict which has been tearing this East African country apart for twenty months, declared the Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs. During a meeting in Port Sudan on Saturday, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane asked Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Burhanettin Duran to “convey to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan the favorable reception of the Sudanese leaders to the initiative”Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Youssef said during a briefing in the evening after the meeting.
“Sudan needs brothers and friends like Turkey”declared Ali Youssef, adding that “the initiative (could) lead to the achievement of peace in Sudan”. At the beginning of December, Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared during a telephone interview with General Burhane that his country “could intervene to resolve disputes” between Sudan and the United Arab Emirates as well as to establish “peace and stability in Sudan”according to a press release from the Turkish presidency.
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Sudan’s military-backed government has repeatedly accused the UAE of supporting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), allegations the Emirates has always refuted. In December, the Sudanese government accused the RSF of launching drones assembled in the United Arab Emirates from neighboring Chad. According to American parliamentarians citing the White House at the end of December, the Emirates informed the United States that they would not arm the paramilitaries in the war in Sudan.
After his meeting with General Burhane on Saturday, Duran said the peace process “requires concerted efforts” and that Turkey was ready to “play its role in mobilizing other regional actors to help overcome the difficulties in ending this conflict”. In a statement last week, the United Arab Emirates welcomed the “diplomatic efforts” of Turkey to resolve the current crisis in Sudan. The war in Sudan has killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted more than 12 million others. It also pushed the country to the brink of famine.
