(TargetLiberty.org) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called for a ceasefire in Sudan following days of fighting as the army and another force are fighting for control.
Blinken in his remarks with United Kingdom’s foreign secretary, James Cleverly stated that there was “a shared deep concern” about the conflict in Sudan and the threat that “it poses to the Sudanese nation” and civilians. He added that there are also concerns about the threat it could bring to the region.
He added that “all of our partners” agree that there is a need to return to talks and to have a ceasefire in order to help Sudan with a transition towards a civilian-led government.
Over the weekend the civilian death toll in the country reached 97. Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan of Sudan’s armed forces is fighting against Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, who leads Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary organization. Burhan and Dagalo were once allies as they collaboratively planned the 2021 military coup that stopped Sudan’s transition into being a democracy.
Following the coup, there has been violence in Sudan’s capital and across the country. Around one-third of the country’s population or 16 million people, are dependent on humanitarian assistance to survive. However, the fighting has meant that the World Food Program and the International Rescue Committee have been unable to deliver resources.
Blinken stated that “People in Sudan want the military back in the barracks. They want democracy. They want civilian-led government. Sudan needs to return to that path.”
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