The Egyptian presidency announced today, Sunday, that it will host a summit of countries neighboring Sudan next Thursday to discuss ways to end the conflict in the country and its negative repercussions on neighboring states. In a statement, it mentioned, "We will look to establish effective mechanisms with the participation of neighboring countries to peacefully settle the crisis in Sudan, in coordination with other regional and international frameworks for resolving the crisis."
Sudanese delegations are expected to meet in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, tomorrow, Monday, for exploratory talks. The delegations include civilian forces that shared power with the army and the Rapid Support Forces after the ousting of former President Omar al-Bashir four years ago.
It is also expected that leaders of some former rebel groups in Darfur will travel to Chad for talks, the timing of which is not yet clear. Fighting that erupted in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, in mid-April has displaced more than 2.9 million people, with nearly 700,000 fleeing to neighboring countries.
According to the latest figures from the International Organization for Migration, over 255,000 have crossed the border into Egypt. Egypt has close ties with the Sudanese army, which is fighting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Khartoum and other parts of Sudan. Egypt did not participate in talks led by the United States and Saudi Arabia in Jeddah that were postponed last month after failing to achieve a permanent ceasefire.
