The US and UK urged a return to negotiations in Sudan, after violence between rival Sudanese military factions killed more than 60 people and injured hundreds in the past few days.
(Bloomberg) — The US and UK urged a return to negotiations in Sudan, after violence between rival Sudanese military factions killed more than 60 people and injured hundreds in the past few days.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, speaking together Monday at a Group of Seven foreign ministers’ meeting in Karuizawa, Japan, both called on the nation’s generals to stop fighting.
“People in Sudan, want the military back in the barracks,” Blinken said. “They want democracy. They want a civilian led government. Sudan needs to return to that path.”
The conflict erupted on Saturday after a long-simmering dispute between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces militia exploded into a battle for control of the North African nation.
The two sides traded claims on holding key infrastructure such as the international airport in Khartoum and the public broadcaster. The United Nations, US, Russia and China called for a cease-fire amid concerns of a regional war.
“Ultimately, the immediate future lies in the hands of the generals who are engaged in this fight,” Cleverly said. “And we call upon them to put peace first, to bring an end to the fighting, to get back to negotiations.”
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