Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty during a joint interview Saturday on Ten TV and Russia’s RT. Photo by Ten Tv channel.

Egypt is hosting 5.5 million Sudanese nationals and has borne the “greatest burden” of the ongoing conflict in Sudan, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said on Saturday.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty during a joint interview Saturday on Ten TV and Russia’s RT. Photo by Ten Tv channel.
 
 

In a joint interview with Egypt’s Ten TV and Russia’s RT on the sidelines of Victory Day celebrations in Moscow, Abdelatty expressed grave concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Sudan, which he described as having reached “devastating proportions.”

The war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has triggered what the United Nations (UN) calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, displacing nearly 13 million people. 

Over 3.5 million have fled to neighbouring countries, with more than 1.5 million arriving in Egypt since the war began in April 2023.

Sudanese nationals now make up 72 percent of all registered refugees in Egypt, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

"The situation is extremely negative," Abdelatty said, citing the "deliberate and systematic targeting" of Sudan's infrastructure, including roads and power stations, as a loss for the Sudanese people. "These do not belong to any individual. Their destruction is essentially a direct loss to the resources of this great and brotherly Sudanese nation."

The minister voiced sorrow over widespread violence and starvation, particularly in Darfur and Zamzam Camp, and condemned recent drone strikes in Port Sudan—previously considered a safe zone—that have caused severe damage to civilian infrastructure.

These strikes, blamed on the RSF, were repeatedly condemned by Egypt.

Abdelatty reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to a political resolution, saying Cairo continues to push for de-escalation through diplomatic efforts focused on the well-being of the Sudanese people.

“Not a single crisis in this region has a military solution,” he stressed. “In Sudan, there is no military solution—only political and peaceful ones.”

He also noted that Egypt currently hosts more than 10 million foreign nationals, including migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers from 133 countries. Ahram Online