Türkiye ready to broker peace in Sudan, Erdoğan tells army chief
Civilians who fled war-torn Sudan following the outbreak of fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) camp at the UNHCR transit center in Renk, near the border crossing point in Renk County of Upper Nile State, South Sudan, May 1, 2023. (Reuters Photo)

Turkish leader assured al-Burhan Ankara is willing to host further talks for peace in conflict-ridden Sudan as violence continued and sides kept negotiating in Jeddah to no avail



President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed the recent developments in Sudan in a phone call with Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman al-Burhan, the commander in chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces, and reiterated Ankara’s readiness to mediate peace between the warring sides, Turkish diplomatic sources said early Tuesday.

Erdoğan conveyed "sadness and concern" over the increase in casualties in the "fratricidal fight" between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, a statement from the Directorate of Communications informed.

"Türkiye is ready to host talks should the sides decide to start comprehensive negotiations," Erdoğan assured al-Burhan.

"We will continue our efforts in contact with the United Nations in order to ensure all emergency humanitarian needs of the Sudanese people are met."

Erdoğan and al-Burhan also discussed the evacuation and safety of Turkish civilians in Sudan, the statement added.

In separate remarks also on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu too stressed Ankara was working to help bring an end to the war.

"Our embassy officials there did a wonderful job with the evacuation operation thanks to the support of al-Burhan and the army because the fighting is on the street," Çavuşoğlu said. "I hope no other country has to suffer a similar fate."

Türkiye evacuated more than 1,700 Turkish civilians and around 300 nationals from 22 other countries from Sudan after clashes broke out on April 15.

For the past month, more than 604 people have been killed and thousands injured in the fight between two rival generals, al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohammed Hamdan "Hemedti" Dagalo.

The disagreement had been fomenting in recent months over the integration of the RSF into the armed forces – a key condition of Sudan's transition agreement with political groups.

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

Sudan’s transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, was scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

The warring sides have been in Saudi Arabia since Saturday for peace talks but there has been no outward sign of progress despite a limited goal of a cease-fire to allow humanitarian access.

Repeated earlier truces have already been broken and airstrikes and gun battles continued on Tuesday morning amid what residents call a surge in looting and robbery. The violence has accelerated a wave of people fleeing their homes, with the number of people internally displaced inside Sudan more than doubling in a week to more than 700,000 the U.N.'s migration agency said.

The world body estimates that 5 million additional people will need emergency assistance inside Sudan while 860,000 are expected to flee to neighboring states that were already in crisis at a time when rich countries have cut back on aid.

Earlier on Monday, al-Burhan said in a television interview that he wanted peace.

"We believe the peaceful solution is the ideal route to handle this crisis," he said but gave no indication he was ready to make concessions.

Turkish authorities, especially Erdoğan, have maintained close contact with Sudanese officials in this period, calling for "restraint and a cease-fire."

Ankara also mobilized all diplomatic means and sent its deputy foreign minister to partake in neighboring Ethiopia’s efforts last week to achieve a peaceful solution and prevent further bloodshed in Sudan.

On April 28, the Sudanese army and the RSF traded accusations over the shooting of a Turkish evacuation plane as it was landing in Khartoum. None of the crew was wounded, the Turkish ministry assured. The RSF denied firing at the plane.

Last Saturday, an official vehicle carrying the Turkish ambassador to Sudan was hit by gunfire in the capital. No casualties were reported and the source of the gunfire was not clear but the army and the RSF blamed each other for the attack.