Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the president of Egypt, gathered his counterparts from Sudan’s bordering nations in Cairo on Thursday for a “important” conference with the goal of establishing a practical plan to put an end to the hostilities that started in Khartoum more than three months ago.
The leaders of the regional nations that assert they have been “hardest” struck by the crisis’ effects, including Ethiopia, South Sudan, Chad, Eritrea, the Central African Republic, and Libya, were present at the summit.
In his four-point peace proposal, Sisi demanded that the “warring parties stop the escalation and start, without delay, serious negotiations aimed at reaching an immediate and lasting ceasefire.”
Sudan’s potential disintegration as a state worries Cairo, according to independent political expert Mekki Elmograbi of Sudan, who spoke to RT.
“Egyptians think that if Sudan collapses, Egypt will bear the price,” he added, adding that in the future, there may be a greater influx of refugees from Khartoum to North Africa.
Elmograbi explained, “If other sections of Sudan are not accepting refugees due to the fighting, then implies all Sudanese would migrate north, [to] Egypt.
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Egypt is the region’s major host country with 170,000 or more refugees from Sudan seeking sanctuary there, according to the UN.
Cairo’s move comes weeks after discussions supported by the US and Saudi Arabia collapsed as a result of the opposing groups’ repeated failures to uphold cease-fire agreements.
An eight-nation African trade group known as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) held a meeting in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, on Monday to discuss the execution of a peace plan for Sudan.
The Sudanese government, which is ruled by the military, has objected to Kenyan President William Ruto leading the mission, saying Nairobi lacks neutrality and supports the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces of Sudan.
According to Arab News, a group from the Sudanese army was present in Addis Abeba for the conference on Monday but declined to take part.
