Saudi Arabia welcomes outcome of regional summit on Sudan’s neighbor countries in Cairo

Saudi Arabia welcomed the results of an Egyptian-hosted summit of Sudan’s neighboring countries, the Kingdom’s foreign ministry announced on Saturday.

Leaders from Sudan’s seven neighboring countries agreed on Thursday in Cairo to a new Egyptian-led initiative seeking to resolve the deepening conflict in the African country.

The Kingdom welcomed “the concerted and integrated efforts aimed at restoring security and stability to Sudan, preserving its territorial integrity, protecting civilians, and ensuring the dispatch of humanitarian aid,” the ministry added in a statement.

The meeting — the most high-profile since fighting erupted across Sudan in mid-April — was hosted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and attended by the leaders of Ethiopia, South Sudan, Chad, Eritrea, the Central African Republic and Libya.

At that meeting, El-Sisi urged international donors “to honor their commitments,” referring to $1.5 billion in aid pledged at a Geneva conference in June — less than half the estimated needs of Sudan and its immediate neighbors.