Saudi diplomacy is key to ending Sudan war, EU special representative for the Horn of Africa tells Arab News
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has become a key diplomatic actor in efforts to end Sudan’s civil war, with the Kingdom uniquely positioned to translate years of stalled negotiations into a ceasefire and political transition, according to the EU’s envoy for the Horn of Africa.
“I think it’s key. I think it’s absolutely key,” Annette Weber, the EU’s special representative for the Horn of Africa, told Arab News during a visit to Riyadh. “Jeddah was the last time where anyone managed to bring basically both (parties) to one place to negotiate substance.”
Weber’s remarks come as Sudan’s conflict enters its fourth year, with international concern mounting over fresh violence in North Kordofan and fears of another humanitarian catastrophe — this time in the city of Al-Obeid.
Volker Turk, the UN rights chief, has issued what he described as a “red alert,” warning that another mass atrocity like that which befell El-Fasher last year could be imminent if fighting intensifies.
