African Union to reopen Sudan liaison office amid calls for ceasefire

October 14, 2024 (ADDIS ABABA) – The African Union (AU) will reopen its liaison office in Port Sudan, the Peace and Security Council (PSC) said on Monday, as part of efforts to resolve the conflict in Sudan.

The PSC met on October 9 to discuss the situation in Sudan, where fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has raged since April 2023.

“The PSC … announced the reopening of the AU Liaison Office in Port Sudan,” the council said in a communiqué seen by Sudan Tribune on Monday.

This decision would allow the AU to engage with the Sudanese stakeholders and participate actively in the ongoing efforts to end the war, restore civilian rule, and provide technical support to Sudan.

The PSC condemned the violence, including sexual violence and abuses against children, and called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.

It also urged the RSF to lift its siege of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, and allow humanitarian access.

The PSC has previously called for the warring parties to pursue a political solution to the conflict and expressed its support for the formation of a civilian-led transitional government.

Sudan demanded that the AU lift its suspension of the country’s membership, imposed after the coup of the military component against the civilian transitional government so that it could play a role in efforts to end the war.

Egypt, which chairs the PSC, backed Sudan’s request. Sudanese diplomats have decried the AU’s “double standards” in not suspending other member states without elected governments.

The PSC urged all stakeholders to cooperate with its ad hoc committee on Sudan, which will hold its first meeting on Oct. 23 in Entebbe, Uganda.