Sudan‘s Armed Forces chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Thursday, the latest in a series of foreign visits amid mounting calls for a ceasefire in his country.
During talks at the Presidential Complex, Mr Erdogan said the war had resulted in one of the worst humanitarian crises worldwide, and that “actions amounting to crimes against humanity have been occurring”, reported the government’s communications agency.
Mr Erdogan said that co-operation would be “further advanced across numerous areas, including trade and agriculture, defence industry and mining”.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, and more than 12 million have been displaced. Half the population − around 25 million − are facing hunger, with pockets of famine surfacing in parts of the country.
Both sides have been accused of atrocities. Gen Al Burhan has been placed under sanction by the US and accused of allowing his troops to use chemical weapons and block aid to specific regions. The RSF has been accused of war crimes in Al Fasher and Zamzam Camp.
RSF’s recent advances consolidated its control of western Sudan, while the army controls the capital, Khartoum, as well as the eastern, central and northern regions. Each side has formed a government, raising fears that the country would be divided after more than two and a half years of war.
Mr Erdogan said Turkey wanted peace, stability, and the preservation of the territorial integrity of Sudan, and “expressed the goal of establishing lasting peace among the Sudanese people by achieving a ceasefire”, said the government statement.
Attempts by the US, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt − known as the Quad − to broker a humanitarian truce have not succeeded so far. Gen Al Burhan has rejected a three-month humanitarian truce and insists the war will continue until the RSF surrenders.
The military leader held talks with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh last week, followed days later by a visit to Cairo, where he met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi.
A strongly worded statement by the Egyptian Presidency during his visit stated that Cairo considered any division of Sudan to be “a red line”.
Gen Al Burhan’s meeting with Mr Erdogan was also attended by Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin.