Russia's Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, and Sudanese Ambassador to Moscow Mohammed Sirrag discussed the settlement of the ongoing acute military-political crisis in the North African country, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
"In the course of the conversation they considered the problems of settlement of the ongoing acute military-political crisis in Sudan," the ministry said in a statement.
As the ministry noted, the Russian side "reiterated the urgent need for an early cessation of armed hostilities and the establishment of a broad national dialogue in the interests of a peaceful settlement of existing disagreements in Sudanese society."
In early January, the Sudanese Coordination of Civil Democratic Forces (Taqaddum) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been involved in fighting with the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), held talks in Ethiopia and issued a statement saying that the RSF had begun preparations for an immediate ceasefire and were open to negotiations with the SAF on this issue.
Fighting between the RSF, led by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, and the regular army has been ongoing in Sudan since April 15, 2023. The parties have exchanged conflicting statements about the success of the fighting and control of facilities, and have launched a massive information war in the media and on social media.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the ongoing fighting in the country could lead to disease outbreaks and a fatal collapse of the health system. Meanwhile, the number of internally displaced people in Sudan has surpassed 8 million, according to the UN.