June 11 (UPI) — The United States’ top diplomat in Africa will be going to Sudan this week to ease tensions between the ruling military and opposition forces, the State Department said.
In a statement, the State Department said Monday that Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Tibor Nagy will be traveling to Sudan to meet with members of the ruling Transitional Military Council and the Forces for Freedom and Change to “call for a cessation of attacks against civilians and urge parties to work toward creating an enabling environment” for talks between the two sides to resume.
The call comes a day after four people were killed by military forces in an attempt to quell a general strike against military rule that began Sunday.
Tensions have been high in the country since June 3 when the military cracked down on a weeks-long protest against military rule in the capital, killing dozens and injuring hundreds.
The protesters have been demanding that the military hand over rule of the country to civil society since April 11 when the military ousted 30-year dictator president, Omar al-Bashir.
Since June 3, over 118 people have been killed, the Central Committee for Sudan Doctors said.
The State Department said that Nagy will also meet with African Union representatives and Ethiopian government officials during the trip to discuss the situation in Sudan.
During the trip from June 12 to 23, Nagy will also visit Mozambique and South Africa to advance trade efforts and investment opportunities as well as strengthen security cooperation, the statement said.
