Nigeria and South Africa Urge Immediate Ceasefire in Sudan Conflict
Nigeria and South Africa have jointly called for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the ongoing conflict in Sudan.
The appeal was made by Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Mr. Ronald Lamola, South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, following a meeting on July 19, 2024, held on the sidelines of the African Union Executive Council in Accra.
A statement released on Saturday by Alkasim Abdulkadir, the Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy to Ambassador Tuggar, highlighted the grave concerns of both countries over the humanitarian crisis and the significant loss of civilian lives resulting from the conflict.
“In particular, the two countries expressed grave concern at the ongoing conflict in Sudan, which has resulted in the loss of innocent civilian lives, exacerbated the humanitarian crisis, displaced millions of people, affecting women and children, and led to the total destruction of critical infrastructure,” the statement read.
The Ministers emphasized the need for an immediate ceasefire, an end to the conflict, and the initiation of a process to ensure access to humanitarian aid. They also called on the international community to take urgent, concrete, and practical steps to facilitate a peaceful and inclusive resolution to the conflict in Sudan.
The brutal civil war in Sudan, which began in April 2023, has pitted the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group.
The power struggle between the leaders of these groups, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, has had devastating consequences, exacerbating the country’s humanitarian crisis with widespread hunger and a collapsing healthcare system.
Additionally, Abdulkadir noted that the two Ministers reaffirmed the strong historical bilateral relations and bonds of friendship and solidarity between South Africa and Nigeria.
They committed to expanding and deepening cooperation between the two countries across various sectors.
In this regard, the Ministers undertook to finalize preparations for the upcoming session of the Bi-National Commission, scheduled to take place in South Africa.
