U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that the United States is pushing for a humanitarian ceasefire in Sudan to establish safe havens for aid distribution, while warning that the conflict has devolved into a proxy war.
– Speaking during a press conference in Italy following a meeting with Pope Leo XIV and Italian officials, Rubio described the situation in Sudan as “one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises ever.”
– The Secretary of State noted that while the warring parties recently reached a “statement of principles,” international mediators must now translate those words into action on the ground.
– “What we’ve really been focused on in Sudan is sort of establishing a humanitarian ceasefire that allows us to provide aid to people that are suffering tremendously there, but not doing so at the expense of a broader deal,” Rubio said.
– He emphasized the need to identify specific communities that can serve as “safe havens” for the distribution of food and medical supplies, noting that such efforts require guaranteed security to be effective.
– Rubio expressed concern over the internationalization of the conflict, which began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
– “Obviously, Sudan has become in some way sort of a proxy engagement between multiple countries that are behind some of the elements that are fighting,” Rubio said. “There are other countries that are not directly involved but have allowed their national territories to be used as a way to ship weaponry.”
– The U.S. has been working through the “Quad” process—a diplomatic grouping that includes the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt—to pressure the warring factions.
– Rubio confirmed that the U.S. remains engaged on a “daily basis,” with high-level involvement from the State Department’s Africa bureau and Special Envoy Massad Boulos.
– “The way to bring this conflict to an end is for the countries and the parties who are supporting the fighting elements to force these elements toward a peace deal,” he said.
– The Secretary’s remarks come as the conflict enters its fourth year, with millions displaced and recent reports of intensified drone strikes and fighting in Khartoum and the Kordofan regions.
https://sudantribune.com/article/313692