Sudan Conflict: We need lasting solution-President Akufo-Addo, AU Commission

Ghana's President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, have echoed the need for a lasting resolution of the Sudan conflict.Mediation efforts have failed to bring a halt to hostilities between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since war erupted in April 2023.President Akufo-Addo, delivering an address at the 50th anniversary celebration of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), in Accra, which coincided with the AU Mid-Year Coordination Meeting, pleaded with the warring factions to embrace peaceful negotiations.The protracted war continued to pose serious challenges to the security and safety of the Sudanese people, with rippling dire consequences on the Sahel region, he noted.That situation and other multi-faceted security issues in sub-Saharan Africa in general demanded the AU to foster conflict resolution dialogues to enhance stability in the region, Mr Akufo-Addo added.Civilians in S udan have suffered horrendous levels of violence during the more than a year of conflict between the army and the rival paramilitary force, facing repeated attacks, abuse and exploitation by both sides.The international medical aid group, MSF, in a recent report, said, across Sudan, people's access to lifesaving care had been drastically affected due to shortages, widespread obstructionand looting of medical supplies, insecurity and attacks against patients and medical staff, as well damage to healthcare infrastructure.MSF says in camps and gathering sites where refugees and displaced people seeking safety, with patients recounting horrific stories of inhuman treatment and violence perpetrated by armed groups on civilians, with some of the accounts detailing systematic cases of forced eviction, sexual violence, looting and arson.According to the United Nations (UN), an alarming 17.7 million people, representing more than one-third of the country's population, are facing acute food insecurity, while so me 16 per cent of the total population have fled their homes - making Sudan the largest displacement crisis in the world.Mr Moussa Faki Mahamat, the AU Commission Chairperson, said the pace of economic contraction in Sudan had more than doubled over the last one year, following the conflict.The AU, he said, was worried over the uncompromising stance taken by the feuding factions and appealed to the parties involved in the conflict to endeavour to shelve their differences for peace to prevail.The AU Commission Chairperson bemoaned the pressing security issues in Sudan, as well as increase in terrorism and unconstitutional changes in government in the sub-Region.Those issues, he said, would be appropriately discussed and dealt with at the 2025 Summit of the Union.Source: Ghana News Agency