Egypt hosts conference of Sudanese political and civil leaders seeking way to end internal war

(6 Jul 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Cairo - 6 July 2024
1. Wide of conference
2. Various of panel on stage
3. Various of members of Sudanese political and civil society groups in audience
4. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Badr Abdelatty, Egyptian Foreign and Migration Minister:
“Any real political solution to the crisis in Sudan must be based on a purely Sudanese vision emanating from the Sudanese themselves, without any dictations or pressure from any external parties.”
5. Abdelatty speaking
6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Badr Abdelatty, Egyptian Foreign and Migration Minister:
“The current conflict in Sudan is purely a Sudanese issue and any any future political process should include all active national actors on the Sudanese scene without any exclusions.”
7. Wide of conference
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Speciosa Wandira, Member of African Union High-Level Panel on Sudan:
“The relentless efforts to find a negotiated solution to the crisis in Sudan have so far remained elusive. The main belligerents defiantly continue to seek military solutions, other armed groups has been drawn into the fighting and are now supporting and joining the two sides. External interference is fueling the war, this is compounding the situation.”
9. Wide of conference
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Abdalla Hamdok, former Sudanese Prime Minister:
“The inability for the polarization, the inability of bringing the two belligerents together in negotiating seriously in stopping the war and moving forward on a political process, it is the main obstacle but I think with pressure from internal civil society, Sudanese groups, from the region, from the world, we will be able to put that pressure on them so that we can come to the table.”
11. Wide of conference
STORYLINE:
Sudanese political and civil society groups met on Saturday in Egypt to discuss ways to end the war engulfing Sudan.
The warring parties, however, didn’t take part in the Egypt-sponsored conference.
Sudan descended into chaos in April last year when simmering tensions between the country’s military and a notorious paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum and elsewhere in the country.
The devastating conflict has killed more than 14,000 people and wounded 33,000 others, according to the United Nations, but rights activists say the toll could be much higher.
It created the world’s largest displacement crisis with over 11 million people forced to flee their homes.
International experts warned last month that 755,000 people are facing famine in the coming months, and that 8.5 million people are facing extreme food shortages.
Saturday’s gathering was the latest effort to end the war in Sudan.
It has been hosted by the Egyptian government in the New Administrative Capital, a mega city east of Cairo.
Previous efforts, including US-Saudi-mediated talks between the military and the RSF failed to end the fighting.
“Any real political solution to the crisis in Sudan must be based on a purely Sudanese vision emanating from the Sudanese themselves,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said in his opening speech.
Many Sudanese groups attended the conference including an alliance of pro-democracy political parties and groups led by former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.
Also attended were some leaders of Sudanese rebel groups, including Malik Agar of the Sudan Revolutionary Front and Gibril Ibrahim of the Justice and Equality Movement.
Representatives of the Arab League, African Union, United Nations and European Union as well as other countries also attended.
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