The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and his South African counterpart, Ronald Lamola, have called for an immediate ceasefire in the ongoing conflict in Sudan.
They lamented that the conflict had led to the death of innocent citizens, worsened the humanitarian crisis, displaced millions of people and the destruction of critical infrastructure.
According to a statement on Saturday by Tuggar’s Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy, Alkasim Abdulkadir, the two ministers spoke at a meeting on the sidelines of the African Union Executive Council in Accra.
They called for the commencement of a process to expedite access to humanitarian assistance in the country.
The power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces erupted into a large-scale conflict in April 2023, which has continued to rage.
The ministers said, “On July 19, 2024, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Mr. Ronald Lamola, the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation in South Africa. The Ministers reiterated a call for an immediate ceasefire, an end to the conflict and the commencement of a process to expedite access to humanitarian assistance.
“To this end, both nations call on the international community to take urgent concrete and practical steps that will facilitate a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Sudan in an inclusive manner. Tuggar and Lamola pledged to redouble their efforts to deepen the collaborations between their countries.”
The statement added, “The two Ministers reaffirmed the existing strong historical bilateral relations and bonds of friendship and solidarity between South Africa and Nigeria and committed to redouble their efforts to expand and deepen cooperation between the two countries in various sectors. In this regard, the Ministers undertook to finalise preparations for the upcoming session of the Bi-National Commission, which is scheduled to take place in South Africa.
“The Ministers further exchanged views on regional and continental matters including peace and security on the African continent. In particular, the two countries expressed grave concern at the ongoing conflict in Sudan which has resulted in the loss of innocent civilian lives, exacerbated the humanitarian crisis, displaced millions of people, affecting women and children, and led to the destruction of critical infrastructure.”
