UPDATE – Sudan army chief visits South Sudan for talks on conflict

UPDATES WITH DETAILS, EDITS THROUGH

By Behram Abdelmunim

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AA) - Sudan's army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan held talks with leaders of South Sudan on Monday to discuss the ongoing conflict in the country.

Sudan has been ravaged by clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group since April, in a conflict that killed more than 3,000 people and injured thousands, according to local medics.

Al-Burhan met with South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir in the capital Juba where they discussed efforts by the region’s countries to address the conflict in Sudan, Foreign Minister-designate Ali Al-Sadiq said in a statement.

“We see South Sudan as the best country to mediate to resolve the current crisis in Sudan,” he added.

South Sudan’s Minister of Cabinet Affairs Martin Elia Lomuro termed al-Burhan’s visit as “important.”

“It’s in the interest of South Sudan to find a solution to the crisis in Sudan,” he said.

“The visit constituted an opportunity to post our leaders on the situation in Sudan and the possible solutions to the Sudanese crisis,” he added.

The visit was the second foreign trip by al-Burhan since the outbreak of violence in Sudan.

Last week, the army chief visited Egypt for talks with Egyptian officials on the current developments in Sudan.

The last visit by the Sudanese army chief to South Sudan, which seceded from Sudan in 2011, took place in 2022.

Several cease-fire agreements brokered by Saudi and US mediators between the warring rivals failed to end violence in the country.

According to UN estimates, nearly 4.8 million people have been displaced by the current conflict in Sudan.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi