By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
President Cyril Ramaphosa met Sudan Transitional Sovereign Council vice president Malik Agar Eyre Nganyoufa in a significant diplomatic engagement that underscored South Africa’s commitment to supporting peace initiatives in the war-torn North African nation.
The ongoing conflict in Sudan between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the country’s army has been raging since April 2023.
The Sudanese conflict has killed thousands, displaced millions inside and outside the country and sparked warnings of famine.
Ramaphosa met with the leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo last year.
He said he was looking forward to meeting with the leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
The RSF and SAF have been involved in a fierce conflict after a power struggle between Dagalo and al-Burhan.
There have been several attempts by regional leaders and peace talks in Saudi Arabia to end the almost year-long conflict, but no deal has been struck as yet.
According to the Presidency, the purpose of the meeting was to brief the President on the developments towards peace in Sudan.
“Ramaphosa welcomed the briefing and expressed South Africa’s support for dialogue between the warring factions. The President further reiterated the call for an immediate ceasefire that will alleviate the suffering and humanitarian catastrophe facing the Sudanese people, especially women and children.”
The United Nations says nearly 25 million people – about half of Sudan’s population – need aid amid fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces over the past 11 months.
“South Africa appealed to the different factions of the Sudanese army to immediately cease all fighting, spare the Sudanese people any further violence and immediately return to the negotiations table to agree on a sustainable military and security sector reform programme as part of the Final Agreement towards the restoration of a civilian-led transitional government in Sudan.”