Iran Calls for Restraint in Sudan

In a statement on Saturday, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani reacted to the fresh developments and unrest in Sudan, saying Iran is concerned about what is happening in the Muslim and brotherly country.

“We hope that in the last days of the holy month of Ramadan, our Sudanese brothers will exercise restraint and resort to dialogue to resolve the internal differences and will leave behind this worrisome situation through negotiations and peaceful means,” he added.

The spokesman said there is no doubt that the current crisis can only be resolved through dialogue between Sudanese factions and through consensus over a national initiative.

Fierce exchanges of gunfire as well as massive explosions hit the Sudanese capital of Khartoum on Saturday as columns of smoke bellowed from various places and soldiers were deployed on the streets.

The clashes came following days of tensions between the army and the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that threatened to turn into a full-blown battle for control of the African country.

The sound of gunfire and heavy artillery continued to reverberate across the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, for a second day on Sunday as doctors said at least 56 civilians have been killed in the clashes between the country’s army and a powerful paramilitary force.

The two sides have been competing for power as political factions negotiate forming a transitional government after a 2021 military coup. The tensions stem from a disagreement between the military, headed by General Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, about how the paramilitary force should be integrated into the armed forces and what authority should oversee that process, Al Jazeera reported.

The United Nations, European Union and African Union have appealed for an immediate end to the hostilities.