Sudan seeks Turkish support amid ongoing conflict, minister highlights ‘brotherly relations’

Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Yusuf emphasized the “excellent level” of bilateral relations between Türkiye and Sudan, describing the two nations as “brother countries” during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency at the NEST Congress Center in the Belek Tourism Region, Yusuf detailed his participation in “important meetings with Turkish officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.” These discussions focused on expanding bilateral relations across economic, trade, cultural, and educational spheres.

“There is a very strong determination between the leaders of the two countries to develop relations,” Yusuf said. “We briefed our colleagues in the Turkish government about the situation in Sudan, how the war continues, and the victories the Sudanese army has achieved in the past few weeks.”

Military advances continue as Sudanese forces push RSF westward

The Sudanese foreign minister provided updates on the current military situation, noting that groups, including RSF had fled from Khartoum and were now retreating toward the southern part of the Omdurman region in the west. “This issue will be addressed in the next few days. I think then it will be completely freed from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF),” Yusuf stated.

He emphasized that there are currently no negotiations between the government and the RSF, adding, “The condition for starting negotiations, as expressed by the Sudanese government, is for the militias to withdraw from all occupied areas of the country to a specific region. They can be held there until an agreement is reached through mediation and dialogue, and the future is in the hands of the Sudanese people. Therefore, finalizing this requires time.”

Sudan seeks international partners for reconstruction, criticizes UK conference exclusion

Regarding reconstruction efforts, Yusuf stressed the need for extensive work on basic necessities such as electricity, water, healthcare services, and schools. He mentioned ongoing cooperation with Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, and Kuwait in these areas, describing them as “countries that will help Sudan return to normal life.”

The minister revealed plans to organize international conferences to garner support from other nations interested in Sudan’s return to normalcy, extending invitations to the United States and European countries to participate in Sudan’s rebuilding.

Addressing the U.K.’s decision not to invite the Sudanese government to an international conference on Sudan, Yusuf expressed frustration: “We told them how a conference discussing Sudan’s problems and the situation in Sudan could be organized without inviting Sudan.” He noted that Britain later invited the United Arab Emirates, a country with which Sudan has “many problems.”

“How can you invite a country that is neither a mediator nor a friend to us? For these reasons, we boycotted this conference and consulted with friendly countries like Türkiye and Egypt,” Yusuf said, adding that he believes Egypt, Türkiye, and Saudi Arabia will convey Sudan’s perspective at the conference.

The minister concluded by describing the intensifying conflict, revealing that forces are advancing toward Darfur and that the RSF is using drones to strike infrastructure across the rest of Sudan.

“The war is in full swing,” Yusuf remarked, adding: “We don’t think this struggle will end anytime soon. We need to liberate the whole of Darfur from this RSF group.”