Erdogan: Türkiye ready to host talks for Sudan

Türkiye is ready to host comprehensive talks for Sudan if the stakeholders agree, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told Sudan's Sovereign Council chairman.

In a phone call with Abdel Fattah al Burhan on Tuesday, Erdogan said Türkiye will continue its efforts in contact with the UN to ensure that the urgent humanitarian needs of the Sudanese people are met, Türkiye's Communications Directorate said in a statement.

Erdogan also expressed his sadness and concern over the increase in casualties in the "fratricidal fight" in Sudan.

Evacuation and security of Turkish citizens in Sudan were also discussed, according to the statement.

Financial support dropping off

The battles between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces that erupted in the capital Khartoum in mid-April have now engulfed large parts of Sudan, killing hundreds, wounding thousands and unleashing a humanitarian disaster that could not have come at a worse time.

At least 481 civilians were killed and the number of the wounded among civilians jumped to more than 2,560 according to Sudan’s Doctors Syndicate.

According to an internal UN estimate, 5 million additional people in Sudan will require emergency assistance, half of them children.

By October, some 860,000 people are expected to flee to neighbouring countries including Chad, placing additional strain on nations already facing some of the world's most under-funded humanitarian crises.

United Nations funding data for Africa shows financial support from key donor governments is dropping off.

"There is going to be less funding this year," the World Food Programme's (WFP) new executive director, Cindy McCain, said during a visit to Somalia this month.

"I pray that there won't be. But the reality of it is that there is going to be less."