EU foreign policy chief 'strongly' condemns violence in Sudan

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - The EU "strongly" condemns the eruption of violence between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and called for urgent steps to cease hostilities.

"The EU urges all sides to show leadership and engage in an immediate cessation of hostilities. At this critical juncture, priority should be given to silencing the guns, de-escalating the situation and resolving differences through dialogue," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement.

In the past months, Borrell said, Sudanese parties including the army and RSF made “tremendous efforts to bring back the country toward the path of democracy through agreeing the framework agreement, paving the way towards a civilian led government.”

“Today’s event jeopardize those important gains,” he added.

"The EU will continue to closely coordinate with regional and international partners to promote the path towards a political agreement that would bring peace, stability and economic development," the EU official said.

Fighting broke out early Saturday between the Sudanese army and RSF fighters in Khartoum, with gunfire and bombs heard near the army headquarters and presidential palace, according to an Anadolu reporter in Khartoum.

The dispute between the two sides came to the surface on Thursday when the army said recent movements by the RSF had happened without coordination and were illegal.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021 when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency, a move decried by political forces as a "military coup."

Sudan’s transitional period that started in August 2019 was scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.