Africa-Press – South-Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa believes the ongoing conflict in Sudan is unnecessary and a ceasefire has to be reached to “silence the guns”.
Ramaphosa spoke during a state visit ceremony for Namibia’s President Hage Geingob at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Thursday.
Fighting has been ongoing in Sudan for several days between the country’s army and rival paramilitary forces.
Many civilians have been injured, and it has prompted many world leaders to raise concerns about regional stability.
Ramaphosa and Geingob spoke about the developments during the bilateral discussions.
Ramaphosa said the situation in the region was both unfortunate and unnecessary.
He called for an immediate ceasefire and said the conflict had to be stopped to avoid it spilling over into a civil war.
He called for negotiations, with the African Union intervening to help calm the situation in a country that has not had a stable government for several years.
“The situation in Sudan is most concerning and we have called for a ceasefire. This is an unnecessary conflict, and we have called for an immediate ceasefire, and it should be subjected to negotiations.
Ramaphosa said:
Geingob also called for immediate negotiations and a ceasefire.
On Tuesday, former president Thabo Mbeki called for an urgent ceasefire in Sudan and an immediate return to negotiations to usher in a civilian government.
The two presidents answered questions on the invitation issued by South Africa to BRICS member states for the organisation’s summit, which is scheduled for August.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is invited to the gathering.
But the warrant of arrest issued by the International Criminal Court has mounted pressure on Ramaphosa to decide whether his government will allow Russia’s president free access to the country without acting on the warrant.
Ramaphosa said he had yet to be notified whether any of the member presidents, including Putin, would attend. He said his administration was still mulling over what to do about the matter, while noting the warrant of arrest for Putin.
Namibia’s president weighed in on South Africa’s predicament, saying it was ironic because the country had found itself in the same situation previously with former Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir in 2015.
Geingob joked that it seemed South Africa was being “picked on” regarding warrants issued by the International Criminal Court. Ramaphosa laughed, saying he agreed.
Geingob said: “I do not support the International Criminal Court because we have our own processes and courts, and they are independent. Any crime I may commit, I will be trailed in Namibia and not in Russia. Americans are not part of the International Criminal Court because they say they have their own institutions.
He added: “It is a very difficult situation, and why is it always South Africa? The last time we were here was Omar al-Bashir, so they are targeting you?”
Ramaphosa laughed, saying “yes” to Geingob’s comments.
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