Arab leaders call for dialogue to end Sudanese crisis
May 19, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – Arab leaders expressed grave concern about the Sudanese crisis and called for a peaceful resolution through dialogue during the Arab summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia which wrapped up its meeting on Friday.
Sudan, Palestine, and Yemen took centre stage at the Arab summit, with President Bashar Al-Assad’s participation signalling Syria’s reintegration into the League of Arab States.
The final statement issued by the summit emphasized the Arab countries’ keen interest in the unfolding situation in Sudan and their deep worries about the crisis’s impact on regional security and stability.
The statement stressed the urgent need to end the fighting, prioritizing dialogue, unity, and the alleviation of the Sudanese people’s suffering. The Arab leaders also called for preserving national institutions, preventing their collapse, and curbing external interference that fuels the conflict and poses a threat to regional peace and security were also underscored.
Arab leaders further welcomed the Jeddah process to stop the war between Sudanese parties as a significant step towards resolving the crisis and restoring stability in Sudan.
In response to the Sudanese crisis, the League of Arab States formed the Arab contact group for Sudan on May 7, comprising Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the League’s Secretariat.
During the concluding press conference, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan called upon the warring Sudanese parties to shoulder their responsibilities and engage in dialogue.
Dafallah Al-Haj Ali, the envoy of Sudanese Sovereign Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, conveyed to the Arab summit that the Sudanese army was willing to pardon members of the Rapid Support Forces if they chose to lay down their arms. He emphasized that the army was leading a “battle of dignity” against “rebel forces”, whom he accused of treachery and betrayal in mid-April.
In his address to the Arab leaders, League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit urged an end to military confrontations and the adherence to dialogue as a means to preserve Sudan, its capabilities, and the safety of its national institutions.
Aboul Gheit expressed hope that the Jeddah summit would “serve as a catalyst for renewed Arab action to halt the bloodshed in Sudan and rectify past mistakes”.
He was alluding to the exclusion of the League of Arab States from the Naivasha process on the South Sudanese conflict and the Addis Ababa process on Darfur.
The Arab contact group voiced its desire to take part in any regional or international efforts to settle the ongoing conflict in Sudan.
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