El-Sisi, Al-Burhan stress need to stop crimes against Sudan civilians, hold perpetrators accountable

CAIRO – 18 December 2025: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan on Thursday called for an end to crimes against Sudanese civilians and stressed the need to hold those responsible accountable.

As they met in Cairo, the two leaders urged intensified efforts to provide assistance to the Sudanese people amid the severe humanitarian conditions resulting from the ongoing conflict.

El-Sisi reaffirmed Egypt’s full support for the Sudanese people in their efforts to navigate the current critical phase.

He also underscored Egypt’s firm position backing Sudan’s unity, sovereignty, security, and stability, and stressed Cairo’s readiness to make every possible effort in this regard.

 

Al-Burhan, for his part, expressed appreciation for Egypt’s ongoing support for Sudan and its efforts to resolve the current crisis, saying this reflects the deep brotherly ties between the two countries.

The war in Sudan, now in its third year, has killed scores of civilians and plunged the African country into what the UN described as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

Protecting Sudan ‘Red Lines’

The Presidency issued a statement on Thursday marking Al-Burhan’s visit, while outlining “red lines that cannot be crossed or compromised as they directly affect Egypt’s national security, which is directly linked to Sudan’s national security.”

In a presidential statement issued during a visit by President of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan to Cairo, Egypt said “preserving Sudan’s unity and territorial integrity, and not undermining with its resources and those of the Sudanese people, is among the most important of these red lines.”

This includes “rejecting the secession of any part of Sudan’s territory,” the Presidency emphasized.

 

Egypt reiterated its “categorical rejection of the creation of, or recognition of, any parallel entities,” stressing that such moves “would undermine Sudan’s unity and territorial integrity.”

“Preserving Sudanese state institutions and preventing any harm to them,” the Presidency affirmed, “constitute another red line for Egypt.”

Egypt said it reserves “its full right to take all necessary measures guaranteed by international law and the joint defence agreement between the two countries to ensure these red lines are neither infringed nor crossed.”

War in Sudan

The humanitarian crisis in Sudan has been steadily exacerbating with around half of the 50-million population in Sudan currently facing extreme levels of hunger, according to the UN.

Figures of casualties vary but some sources estimate that over 150,000 people are estimated to have been killed since the start of the war.

The UN also estimated last month that 12 million Sudanese people have been displaced by the conflict so far.

El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur in western Sudan, has been at the center of ongoing violence and humanitarian distress over the past two years.

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, which has been battling the Sudanese Armed Forces since April 2023, captured El Fasher in October after 18 months of siege, reportedly killing hundreds of civilians.