Turkey Mediates Peace Efforts in Sudan's Ongoing Conflict

KHARTOUM - Sudan is the latest country to accept mediation offers from Turkey as the world rushes to solve conflicts in the Horn of Africa which have destabilized the region for the last five years since the ouster of Omar al-Bashir.

For the last 20 months, the Sudan Armed Forces have been facing resistance from the Rapid Support Forces, leading to serious bloodshed in the country. Efforts to resolve the conflict have since dwindled significantly.

However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a phone talk with Sudan's Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, adding that Ankara could help establish "peace and stability" in the war-torn African state.

Over the weekend, a meeting at Port Sudan saw Burhan ask Turkish deputy foreign minister Burhanettin Duran to "deliver the Sudanese leadership's welcoming of the initiative" to Erdogan, Sudanese foreign minister Ali Youssef said in a briefing after the meeting.

"Sudan needs brothers and friends like Turkey," Youssef said, adding that "the initiative can lead to... realizing peace in Sudan".

Since the ouster of Omar al-Bashir, Sudan has struggled to sort out internal issues, leading to the deaths of thousands of people and the displacement of millions. The US is also keen to stabilize the region and has persistently dispatched mediators.

GAROWE ONLINE