Sudan turmoil: Turkey's Erdogan offers to mediate in conflict

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday offered to mediate between the warring parties in Sudan, adding that Ankara was following events in the country with a concern based on a "sense of brotherhood". 

Erdogan held separate phone conversations with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who are fighting on the streets of the country’s cities.

The two factions came to blows on Saturday after failing to agree a transitional political deal following the 2021 military coup led by Burhan and Dagalo, who is also known as Hemeti.

More than 300 people have been killed and thousands more wounded, with efforts to reach a ceasefire repeatedly failing.

Erdogan, according to a written statement by the Turkish presidency, told the Sudanese leaders that Ankara has sincerely supported the transition process in the country from the very beginning, saying that recent clashes put the gains of the transition period at risk. 

Erdogan said that Turkey continues to stand by the brotherly Sudanese state and its people in this process and that Ankara is ready to provide all kinds of support, including hosting possible mediation initiatives.

Need for dialogue

The Turkish president told the generals that they should return to dialogue and stop shedding "brotherly blood".

He called on Sudan to take the necessary steps to ensure the unity of the society by resolving the problems with common sense. 

Erdogan also called on the warring parties to protect the life and property of Turkish citizens and institutes in Sudan, adding that appropriate measures should be taken to ensure the safe use of Khartoum airport in order to ensure the transfer of Turkish citizens to Turkey and to open an emergency humanitarian aid corridor. 

Turkish media reported that 5294 Turkish citizens currently live in the country.

A two-year-old Turkish girl lost her life after a rocket hit her residence, according to reports. 

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Wednesday said that Ankara would try to evacuate as many Turkish citizens as possible as the parties declared a ceasefire but failed to follow through. 

Turkey and Sudan have deep historical ties going back to the Ottoman Empire. Ankara was among the first countries that recognised Sudan’s independence and opened an embassy in Khartoum in 1956.

Iran, steel, cement, and marble are among the lucrative materials traded between the two.

Turkey has a total trade volume of approximately $500m with Sudan.