ISTANBUL

The Arab League on Sunday called for an immediate halt of violence in Sudan and offered to mediate between the country’s conflicting military rivals.

At least 56 people have been killed and hundreds injured in armed clashes since Saturday between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

A statement issued following an emergency meeting of the Arab League in Cairo called for “an immediate cessation of armed clashes in Sudan and a quick return to the peaceful path to resolve the crisis.”

The pan-Arab body said it is ready “to exert efforts to help Sudan end the crisis in a sustainable manner, in a way that serves the interest of the Sudanese people.”

It warned of serious repercussions of the violent escalation in Sudan, “the scope of which is difficult to determine internally and regionally."

Sunday’s Arab League meeting was convened upon a request from Egypt and Saudi Arabia to discuss developments in Sudan.

Early Sunday, Egypt and South Sudan offered to mediate to resolve the crisis between the Sudanese army and the RSF.

While the RSF accused the army of attacking its forces south of Khartoum with light and heavy weapons, the military said the paramilitary force was "spreading lies" and declared it a "rebel" group.

The dispute between the two sides came to the surface on Thursday when the army said recent movements by the RSF had happened without coordination and were illegal, with their rift centering around a proposed transition to civilian rule.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021 when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency, in a move decried by political forces as a “coup”.

Sudan’s transitional period which started in August 2019 was scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar