UN Ministers Call for Humanitarian Support & Ceasefire Priority in Ongoing Sudan Crisis.
September 20, 2023 – New York (UN). Foreign ministers from Sudan’s neighboring countries, including Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, gathered at the Permanent Mission of Egypt to the United Nations to address the escalating Sudan crisis. This marked their second meeting this year.
They reaffirmed their commitment to a roadmap crafted during a previous meeting in Ndjamena on August 7, 2023. The roadmap focuses on political, security, and humanitarian interventions to manage the crisis effectively.
Additionally, Egypt, in cooperation with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the African Union, the European Union, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), organized a ministerial meeting on the sidelines of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Shoukry expressed Egypt’s solidarity with Sudan and reiterated its commitment to assisting the nation during the ongoing crisis.
Shoukry highlighted Egypt’s political and humanitarian efforts since the crisis began in April, especially through the Sudan Neighboring Countries Initiative. Egypt has provided aid to 310,000 Sudanese refugees and offered medical and psychological support.
He emphasized that Sudan’s neighbors shouldn’t shoulder the crisis alone to prevent straining public services, jeopardizing peaceful coexistence, and promoting irregular migration. Shoukry called for equitable burden-sharing and the fulfillment of financial pledges from countries to address the humanitarian crisis.
This ministerial meeting drew representatives from over 50 countries and organizations.
Furthermore, Shoukry led the second meeting of the foreign ministers of Sudan’s neighboring countries (Egypt, Chad, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Libya, and South Sudan) at the Permanent Mission of Egypt to the UN in New York. Representatives from the Arab League (AL) and the African Union (AU) attended, as this meeting was an outcome of the Ndjamena meeting in August.
During this meeting, the foreign ministers adopted a roadmap to address Sudan’s ongoing crisis, outlined during the first Ndjamena meeting. It specifies actions in the political, security, and humanitarian spheres to support Sudanese stability and sovereignty.
They also reviewed the present efforts of Sudan’s neighboring countries and their talks with various Sudanese parties. The diplomats discussed priorities for the next phase, including practical measures for a sustainable Sudan ceasefire and international support for the humanitarian situation.
The foreign ministers agreed to continue coordination and communication and scheduled the third meeting of the foreign ministers of Sudan’s neighbors in Cairo to assess roadmap progress. These combined efforts, with international support, aim to bring lasting peace and stability to the region.