By Janet Ekstract, NEW YORK – Egyptian authorities declared an intelligence and operational alert over the takeover of the North Darfur capital of el-Fasher by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as Egypt voices concerns about the growing threat to its national security, according to a high-level Egyptian source who spoke to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, a London-based newspaper. The same source said several Egyptian agencies went on heightened alert within hours of the RSF victory led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. The reason for this was to prevent the conflict from spilling over onto Egypt’s southwestern border, arms-smuggling routes and economic stability. Sudan’s’ conflict which began on April 15, 2023 not only threatens Egypt but the entire region. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Arab League and the Muslim world are urgently calling for dialogue and restraint to protect civilians and Sudan’s unity as well as territorial integrity.
Meanwhile, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry in a statement on October 28, said that Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held talks on October 27 with the senior adviser to the U.S. president for Arab and Middle Eastern Affairs to discuss developments in Sudan and Libya. Both sides agreed on “the need for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Sudan” while emphasizing how crucial it is to preserve Sudan’s unity and national institutions to protect its civilians and ensure stability. A joint U.N. report indicates Sudan is now facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian emergencies. Four U.N. agencies including the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Human Rights Agency (UNHCR), the World Food Program (WFP) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), over 30 million people are in dire need of humanitarian assistance. This number includes 9.6 million internally displaced people along with 15 million children. The report also states that even though 2.6 million people have returned home after a reduction in fighting in areas of Khartoum and other places – many found their homes destroyed and no essential services. On October 28, Arab countries described “grave humanitarian violations committed by the RSF in el-Fasher, calling for an immediate humanitarian truce across Sudan.
