Sudan PM heads to New York for UN talks: govt sources

Sudan

Port Sudan –  Sudan’s Prime Minister Kamil Idris left for New York Saturday to meet the UN chief and other officials and discuss humanitarian access and a possible ceasefire, two government sources said.

The trip comes as fighting between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which erupted in April 2023, intensifies in southern Kordofan, raising fears of new atrocities similar to those reported in the city of El-Fasher in late October.Reports of mass killings, rape and abductions followed the RSF’s capture of the army’s last stronghold in the western Darfur region.A Sudanese government source told AFP, on condition of anonymity, that Idris is expected to meet UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, with the aim of “putting an end to the worsening humanitarian crisis” in Sudan.

Idris’s adviser Mohamed Abdel Qader also told AFP the talks would focus on “facilitating aid access” and reaffirm the government’s commitment to a roadmap handed over to the UN, including a “conditional ceasefire linked to the withdrawal of the RSF from areas and cities it occupies”.

Earlier this month, Guterres said the United Nations was preparing talks with both sides in Geneva, but without specifying a date.

Renewed hopes for diplomacy emerged last month when US President Donald Trump pledged to help end the conflict after Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and de facto ruler, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, urged him to intervene.

Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said last week he was ready to work with Trump to resolve the conflict, following talks in Riyadh with Prince Mohammed.

Saudi Arabia is part of a four-nation mediation group, alongside the United States, United Arab Emirates and Egypt, that has stepped up diplomatic efforts in recent months.

Talks have stalled, however, after Burhan accused the mediators of bias towards the UAE.

Sudan’s army-aligned government has accused Abu Dhabi of arming and supporting the RSF – allegations the UAE has repeatedly denied.

The RSF says it supports the international ceasefire plan, but heavy fighting continues, notably in Kordofan.

Egypt, a key ally of Sudan’s army, warned on Thursday that escalating violence “directly affects Egyptian national security” and stressed that preserving Sudanese state institutions remains a “red line”.

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Source: AFP

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