Sudan confirms Turkiye’s support for reconciliation efforts

The Foreign Ministry in Khartoum announced yesterday that Turkiye has confirmed its support for reconciliation efforts in Sudan to end the transitional period by holding “free and fair elections”, Anadolu has reported.

Foreign Minister Ali Al-Sadiq met his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu on the fringe of the 8th Dakar International Forum on Peace and Security in Africa on Tuesday, said the ministry. Cavusoglu apparently affirmed Turkiye’s support for the stability of Sudan and the reconciliation efforts.

Al-Sadiq and Cavusoglu also discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation between Sudan and Turkiye; the coordination and exchange of support in international and regional forums; and Turkiye’s role in supporting peace and security in Africa.

The two ministers agreed to hold bilateral talks as well as meetings of high-level economic delegations to benefit from the potential of both Sudan and Turkiye.

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Sudan has been witnessing popular protests for a year. Protesters have called for the return of civilian rule and rejected the exceptional measures imposed by the army chief, Lieutenant-General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, which they describe as a “military coup”.

According to Al-Burhan, his measures aim to “correct the course of the transitional phase.” He has pledged to hand over power through elections or a national consensus.

Ever since 21 August 2019, Sudan has been going through a transitional phase that is supposed to end with elections in early 2024. The phase began with power shared by the army, civil society and armed movements that signed a peace agreement with the government in 2020.