Luxembourg (EFE).- The European Union (EU) underscored on Tuesday its commitment to boost ceasefire efforts in Sudan, three years after the start of the war, and warned it will use all instruments at its disposal, including sanctions, to promote peace.
The issue was discussed during a Council of European Foreign Ministers meeting, where they reviewed the situation facing the country, marked by «unprecedented death and displacement» and persistent grave violations of international humanitarian law and human rights.
The EU’s High Representative, Kaja Kallas, said at a press conference following the meeting that the EU’s priorities for the African nation are threefold: boosting ceasefire efforts, advancing the civilian transition, and strengthening accountability.
In this context, she noted that moving forward with a European initiative for the protection of critical infrastructure «would be an important step» and explained that the EU, together with the Netherlands, is preparing to support a UN ceasefire monitoring mechanism in Sudan.
Furthermore, she mentioned that a political agreement has been reached to impose new sanctions on those who benefit from the war, «because as long as regional powers fuel and profit from the war, the war will drag on.»
In a statement also released on Tuesday, the EU’s High Representative indicated that «the EU will use all tools available, including diplomacy and restrictive measures, to press for peace, including examining additional sanctions aimed at the war economy.»
Although donors pledged 1.5 billion euros in aid last week, in a country facing unprecedented mortality and displacement, «far more is needed.»
In the same statement, Kallas indicated that the EU will reject any unilateral attempt to establish parallel governance that could jeopardize the country’s partition and reaffirmed its support for «the Sudanese people’s aspirations for democratic governance.»
«Only an independent and representative civilian process can restore legitimacy of the Sudanese state,» she concluded. EFE
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