Egypt Calls for Immediate Ceasefire in Sudan

At the Security Council's open debate on Sudan on Tuesday, Osama Abdel-Khalek, Egypt's Permanent Representative to the UN, issued a statement in which Egypt called for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan and reaffirmed its support for its southern neighbour.

"It is quite concerning that military clashes continue and that successive cease-fire declarations are repeatedly broken. This worsens Sudan's already challenging living conditions and puts the lives of citizens and inhabitants at peril, according to the statement.

Egypt stressed that it is prepared to offer all types of cooperation to settle the problem and expressed its hope that the warring sides will abide by the truce formally established earlier.

In order to stop the killing, it also stated that it wanted to see peace and tranquilly return to Sudan.

According to the statement, Egypt is working cooperatively with a number of nations to finish evacuating Egyptian and foreign nationals who are currently living in Sudan.

"We also note in this regard the response of the Sudanese authorities and their cooperation in evacuating Egyptian and foreign nationals, despite the difficulty and danger of the security situation," the statement said.

10,000 Egyptians, including 5,000 students, were living in Sudan at the time of the battle.