AU envoy reaffirms efforts to de-escalate Sudan conflict, push for ceasefire

KHARTOUM - African Union (AU) Special Envoy for Sudan Mohamed Belaiche reaffirmed Wednesday the organization's efforts to de-escalate the conflict in Sudan and push for a ceasefire.

The AU was working to create conditions for a ceasefire that would pave the way for addressing the crisis through an inclusive political process, Belaiche said after meeting with Chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan in Khartoum, Sudan's capital.

Belaiche described the meeting as part of ongoing AU-Sudan consultations on political and security developments, noting discussions on reopening the AU's Khartoum liaison office and a planned high-level AU visit in the near future.

Since mid-April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions in the country and beyond.