South Africa - Cape Town - 09 June 2022 - President Cyril Ramaphosa engages media in parliament about current issues including the break in at his farm and the foreign currency that was found. photograph : Phando Jikelo/African News Agency(ANA)
President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed concern about the deteriorating situation in Sudan after the armed forces began fighting with the Rapid Support Forces a week ago.
He said South Africa, as a member of the African Union Peace and Security Council, has been dealing with this matter since the conflict started together with other leaders on the continent.
Ramaphosa said many foreigners were trapped inside the country and people were beginning to run out of supplies.
Some of the foreign powers have been on standby to try and evacuate their citizens but the airport in Khartoum has been a battlefield between the Sudanese army and the RSF.
Ramaphosa said he was hoping efforts by regional leaders and the AU would be able to end the stalemate between the two groups.
He said they will try to talk to the two leaders, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan of the Sudanese army, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo of the RSF.
“South Africa is currently serving as a member of the African Union Peace and Security Council. In this role, our country has been seized with the situation in Sudan, working with other African countries towards peace and stability in Sudan. South Africa supports the role played by the AU, IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) and the East African Community in their mediation roles in Sudan. We will engage directly with the leaders of the armed forces in Sudan as part of our endeavours for peace in Sudan,” said Ramaphosa.
More than 400 people have been killed in the conflict and 3 500 have been left injured.
Ramaphosa said they were concerned that the situation has continued to deteriorate since the conflict began.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
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