Moussa Faki Mahamat, the head of the African Union Commission (AUC), urged the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to immediately halt their acts of aggression and engage in talks for the purpose of establishing and sustaining peace in Sudan, according to the AUC statement.
He also affirmed the readiness of the continental bloc to collaborate with key national players, as well as regional and global actors, to reach a significant settlement to the ongoing crisis in the country.
Moreover, the chief voiced "growing concern" at Sudan's deteriorating security situation, particularly the ongoing attacks on the Abu Shok camp for internally displaced persons in El Fasher city and the extension of fighting to Wad Medani city in Al-Jazira state.
"The Chairperson notes with dismay, the reopening of traumatic wounds for many Darfurians, who for over the past twenty years, have lived in Abu Shok as a place of refuge, but fighting resumed there in recent days," said the AUC statement.
Furthermore, the AUC stated that the assaults on the city of Wad Medani represent "a new front" in the nine-month Sudanese conflict.
As per the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, a hostilities cessation agreement was signed on December 9 by the two combatant factions, which have been engaged in fighting since April. On Friday, however, reports indicate that the RSF attacked the city of Wad Madani for the first time since the beginning of the conflict, compelling Al-Jazira state authorities to proclaim a state of emergency.
The governorate of Al-Jazira, colloquially referred to as the "granary of Sudan," holds strategic significance for nationwide access.
The UN reports the conflict has led to over 12,000 deaths, approximately 33,000 injured, more than 6.7 million displacements, and acute food insecurity affecting about 17.7 million people across Sudan.