Turkey calls for Sudan ceasefire as humanitarian crisis worsens

Turkey has called for a ceasefire in Sudan as the humanitarian crisis worsens with more than 20,000 people dead and 14 million displaced since the civil war began in April 2023.

Reported by the Middle East Monitor, Turkey has posited themselves as a provider of any and all necessary support for the immediate resolution of the conflict.

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli said on X, “We are deeply saddened by the ongoing escalation of the conflict in Sudan and the worsening humanitarian situation. We once again call on the parties for a ceasefire and peace to prevent further bloodshed,” before adding Turkiye’s desire for “the establishment of peace, security, and stability in our friendly and brotherly country, Sudan.”

They are therefore calling for a ceasefire in the country to prevent further bloodshed or the spreading of the conflict which is currently being waged in 13 of Sudan’s 18 states.

The Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been fighting, as mentioned, since April 2023 and, according to the UN, local authorities, and international charities, constitutes one of the worst humanitarian crises ever to have occurred. Two million people in 27 locations across Sudan are currently experiencing or on the verge of famine, according to the World Food Programme.

Turkey’s calls for a ceasefire and the “end of bloodshed” come alongside their supply of military drones to Sudan’s governmental forces, enabling them to launch offensives and counter-offensives against the RSF.

Simultaneously, the termination of all USAID funding has forced 80 percent of emergency food kitchens to close, worsening the humanitarian crisis significantly.

Ankara are clearly on the side of Sudan’s government, but their calls for a ceasefire should alleviate the burden on both sides and, most importantly, alleviate the burden of conflict on the Sudanese people who have been living in constant warfare for nearly two years. As the international community has failed to give enough attention to the conflict, the war has ravaged the Sudanese people, and without a ceasefire people will continue to suffer.

Middle East Monitor, Maghrebi