Arab countries welcome the final communique of Sudan’s Neighbouring States Summit in Egypt

Note, this report says "the acting government of Sudan, the Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC), as well as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) welcomed the results of Sudan's Neighbouring Countries Summit".

Report from Ahram Online 
Published Saturday 15 July 2023 - here is a full copy:

Arab countries welcome communique of Sudan’s Neighbouring States Summit in Egypt

A number of Arab countries have welcomed the final communique of the Sudan’s Neighbouring States Summit held in Egypt on Thursday as a step towards reaching a peaceful solution to the Sudanese crisis.

This handout picture released by the Egyptian Presidency shows Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (C), accompanied by Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (C-L) and intelligence chief Abbas Kamel (C-R) attending a regional summit for neighbouring nations impacted by the three-month war between Sudan s rival generals in Cairo on July 13, 2023. AFP

The summit in Cairo brought together Egypt, Libya, Chad, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Eritrea, along with the secretary-general of the Arab League and the African Union Commission (AUC) chairperson, about three months after the conflict erupted in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The summit has agreed on eight points mentioned in the communique, most notably the formation of a ministerial mechanism comprising the foreign ministers of Sudan’s neighbours to address the conflict, which has had severe impacts on regional countries.

Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, Oman, Tunisia, Yemen, Palestine and Sudan have welcomed the communique, hailing Egyptian efforts in hosting the summit.

In a statement on Friday, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs praised the communique as an “important step that is part of the regional and international endeavours aiming to stop the fighting in the sisterly Republic of the Sudan with dialogue and peaceful means.”

The Qatari state looks forward to seeing the outcomes of the summit and other endeavours pave the way for a permanent resolution to the armed conflict in Sudan, the ministry stressed.

Expanded negotiations including all political forces in Sudan should follow the ceasefire in order to reach a sustainable peace that fulfills the aspirations of the Sudanese people for stability, development and prosperity, the ministry added.

The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs hailed the communique, affirming the importance of reaching a ceasefire and resolving the conflict peacefully through dialogue.

President El-Sisi Participates in the Final Session of Sudan’s Neighboring Countries Summit

Jordan also voiced support for all efforts towards a solution to the Sudanese crisis, including the summit in Cairo, said the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said.

The Omani Foreign Ministry, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, and the Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs all expressed appreciation for Egypt's efforts in hosting the summit, called for an immediate end to the fighting, and for security, peace and dialogue in Sudan.

In a statement from the Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Yemen hailed the great and fruitful efforts led by Egypt's President El-Sisi at the summit as a means to ending the bloodshed and fulfilling the Sudanese people’s aspirations to achieve peace and prosperity.

Meanwhile, the acting government of Sudan, the Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC), as well as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) welcomed the results of Sudan's Neighbouring Countries Summit.

The crisis in Sudan has significantly affected the country’s neighbours, which have received hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees over the past three months.

Thursday’s summit warned that prolonging the crisis will result in an increasing number of refugees, overwhelming the capabilities of neighbouring countries.

Related

Sudan's neighbouring countries to form ministerial mechanism to address crisis: Summit’s final statement

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Video: Egypt president and Ethiopia PM discuss Sudanese crisis, GERD ahead of Sudan’s summit

 

View original: https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/504788.aspx

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Irish EU ambassador to Sudan speaks of being attacked. Jordanian embassy in Khartoum ransacked

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: The following report tells us Ambassador O'Hara was not the only diplomat to have such an experience as “very few” diplomatic premises were untouched. Also, a news report below says the Jordanian embassy in Khartoum was overrun and and sabotaged today.

Report from The Irish Times

By Vivienne Clarke

Dated Friday 12 May 2023; 15:15 - full copy:

Irish EU ambassador to Sudan speaks of relief at being unhurt after military ‘stormed’ home

Aidan O’Hara, who was interrogated and held at gunpoint, says he was not the only diplomat to have such an experience

Aidan O'Hara, Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Sudan. Photograph: Aidan O'Hara/Twitter 

EU ambassador to Sudan Aidan O’Hara, who was assaulted after armed men in military fatigues “stormed” his home in Khartoum last month, has told of his relief that he was unhurt during the incident.

While the assault had been stressful, he told RTÉ Radio’s News at One, it had been more stressful hearing bombs explode and gunfire on the streets close to his home.

The good news, the Irishman added, was that although he had been interrogated and had been held at gunpoint, the incident lasted about 45 minutes. He was not the only diplomat to have such an experience as “very few” diplomatic premises were untouched.

Mr O’Hara was a long-serving diplomat in the Department of Foreign Affairs before he became an EU ambassador.

His experience of getting out of Sudan had been eventful with a bomb being dropped close to the convoy during the transfer by French military to the airbase from which they were evacuated. “This was obviously a consular operation, but it was also a military operation. And I think it had to be conducted in very strict terms.”

Until the outbreak of hostilities, Mr O’Hara had been conducting talks with the military and civilian authorities in an effort to keep the civilian process on track, he said. “And then everything came apart on the morning of April 15th.

“My memory of that morning was not that unusual because there are so many armed groups in Khartoum you sometimes hear volleys of gunfire. But on April 15th, it was a Friday and gunfire was quite close to the house, followed by explosions, followed by a lot of black smoke.

“That was the first time there was quite a clear signal that everything had changed. The important thing for me afterwards is that I’m fine and I was unhurt. And it wasn’t a pleasant experience, obviously. But what I think was it was not the most dreadful thing that happened to me, and it was a week to 10 days during the conflict while I was present, I think like everybody else in Khartoum, and elsewhere and in Sudan, what was more stressful was being at home with bombs falling and gunfire on the streets.

“I think I consider myself very fortunate now to be out of Khartoum and still trying to work on the political process and to get the civilian rhythm back on track. But I’m very relieved that I was unhurt. And if I can just say a very big thank you to so many people who reached out to a variety of means to see whether I was okay and to inquire about my welfare and to give me support. And I think of my colleagues in the External Action Service, my colleagues in the Department of Foreign affairs and the Tánaiste too.

“But so many friends and so many people who I’ve met at some point in the past, even going back to my school days, who somehow managed to find me. And I am very grateful for that. I’ve tried to reply to some people, but there are now so many. It’s been quite overwhelming and I don’t know if I’ll get to reply to everybody in person. So this is a very welcome opportunity to say thank you to people, even though I haven’t been in touch with them”.

Mr O’Hara said he hoped to get back to Khartoum at the earliest opportunity.

View original: https://www.irishtimes.com/world/africa/2023/05/12/irish-eu-ambassador-to-sudan-speaks-of-relief-at-being-unhurt-after-military-stormed-home/

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Report from The National

Agencies contributed to this report

Dated Monday 15 May 2023 - excerpt:

Jordanian embassy in Khartoum ransacked as Sudan fighting rages

The Jordanian embassy in Khartoum was “overrun and sabotaged” on Monday, the kingdom's foreign ministry said, as the Sudanese army conducted air raids against Rapid Support Forces targets in the capital.

No Jordanian diplomats were harmed as none were there, with Jordan having moved staff to the nearby city of Port Sudan weeks ago.

An official from the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates told state television that the “Jordanian diplomatic mission in Sudan is all right”.

“The embassy's building in Khartoum was overrun and sabotaged,” an official Jordanian statement said, without naming the perpetrators.

“The foreign ministry condemns the assault, and all forms of sabotage and violence, especially those targeting diplomatic missions.”

Read full story: https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/2023/05/15/jordanian-embassy-in-khartoum-ransacked-as-sudan-fighting-rages/

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Ireland: All Irish citizens living and working in Sudan to register with the Irish Embassy in Nairobi in Kenya

Report from The Irish Times

Saturday April 22 2023 - 13:06 GMT BST UK - excerpts:

Sudan conflict: army says evacuations of diplomats expected to begin

Countries have struggled to bring out citizens amid deadly clashes that have killed more than 400 people

The Sudanese army has said it is coordinating efforts to take diplomats from the UK, the US, China and France out of the country on military planes, as fighting persists in the capital including at its main airport.

The military said army chief General Abdel Fattah Burhan had spoken to leaders of various countries requesting safe evacuations of their citizens and diplomats from Sudan, which has been hit by violence for the past week. […]

With Sudan’s main international airport closed, foreign countries have ordered their citizens to shelter in place until they can figure out evacuation plans.

Gen Burhan said diplomats from Saudi Arabia had already been taken out of Port Sudan and airlifted back to the kingdom. He said Jordan’s diplomats will soon be evacuated in the same way.

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said on Friday that Ireland is working closely with European Union and other partners to prepare to evacuate more than 100 Irish citizens caught up in the civil war which has erupted in Sudan.

Mr Martin said Ireland had asked all Irish citizens living and working in Sudan to register with the Irish Embassy in Nairobi in Kenya and, to date, 105 people had registered though this could change given the number of Irish citizens with international aid organisations in Sudan.

Even as questions persisted over how the mass evacuation of foreign citizens would unfold, the Saudi foreign ministry announced on Saturday that it had started arranging the evacuation of Saudi nationals out of the country. Officials did not elaborate on the plans. […]

View original: https://www.irishtimes.com/world/africa/2023/04/22/sudan-conflict-army-says-evacuations-of-diplomats-expected-to-begin/