Cairo on Wednesday affirmed the need to provide safe shelter and unimpeded humanitarian access to Sudanese, condemning the massacres and serious violations against civilians in El Fasher and North Kordofan.
Egypt’s position was conveyed by Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty during a phone call with Tom Fletcher, the United Nations (UN) Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.
Abdelatty called for urgent measures to protect civilians and affirmed Egypt’s full support for the work of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and its central role in strengthening effective responses to humanitarian crises in the region, whether in the occupied Palestinian territories or Sudan.
Recently, Egypt has intensified contacts to support Sudan's sovereignty, protect its national institutions, and push towards a comprehensive ceasefire within the framework of the “Quad Mechanism.”
Last August, the Mechanism, comprising Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United States, and United Arab Emirates, proposed a roadmap in which it called for a three-month initial humanitarian truce, then an inclusive and transparent transition process within nine months to meet the aspirations of the Sudanese people towards smoothly establishing an independent, civilian-led government with broad-based legitimacy and accountability.
During the phone call on Wednesday, Abdelatty stressed the importance of close coordination with the UN and its specialized agencies to ease civilian suffering and support regional stability.
On Dec. 28, the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC), in coordination with the Sudanese Red Crescent Society, sent a humanitarian aid convoy to support the Sudanese people, carrying around 70 tons of food, medical supplies, and other relief items.
Last month, the Egyptian presidency issued a statement on the war in Sudan outlining three points it described as “red lines.”
Egypt would not allow any of them to be crossed or compromised, as they directly affect Egypt’s national security, which it said is inseparable from Sudan’s national security.
The reference to activating the joint defense agreement between the two countries was seen as a signal that Egypt could bring its military, political, and diplomatic weight in support of the Sudanese army.
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi had received last month Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council in Cairo.
El-Sisi reaffirmed Egypt’s “full support for the Sudanese people in overcoming the current critical phase,” stressing his country’s unwavering commitment to Sudan’s unity, sovereignty, security, and stability.
Meanwhile, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said Abdelatty discussed with Fletcher the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
The minister urged intensified international action to ensure full and unhindered access for humanitarian, medical, and relief aid into Gaza, calling for the removal of Israeli restrictions that he said were blocking sufficient aid deliveries as winter conditions worsen.
He also stressed the need to protect civilians and speed up the entry of essential supplies, including relief materials and mobile housing units, to mitigate civilian suffering in the Gaza Strip.
