The Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit has expressed his deep concern over the current combat operations taking place between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in Khartoum and other areas. In a statement released Saturday, the Arab League called for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the violence, reiterating the responsibility of the warring parties to protect the security and safety of Sudanese citizens in the conflict zones and across the entire state. He expressed a willingness to work with the relevant parties to achieve this. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi expressed deep concern over the escalation and military clashes between the armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces. He called on all political leaders in Sudan to de-escalate, resort to dialogue and voice of wisdom and unite in order to help complete the consensus achieved under the framework agreement. The deal aimed at reaching a political declaration achieved under the political stability, economic recovery and prosperity of Sudan and its people, and to spare civilians the consequences of the fighting. Al-Budaiwi reaffirmed the positions and resolutions of the GCC on the importance of maintaining the security, integrity and stability of Sudan, preserving the cohesion of the country and its institutions. The GCC supported Sudan in facing economic challenges and realizing the aspirations of its brotherly people, as well as commending the international efforts of the tripartite mechanism of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), the African Union (AU), and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD); and the Quartet Group made up of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, the US and the UK; and the Friends of Sudan Group; with the aim of reaching consensus among political forces, ending the crisis and achieving security and stability in Sudan. The secretary-general appealed to all warring parties to resort to dialogue and peaceful ways to overcome differences in order to boost the security and stability of Sudan and to realize the aspirations of its brotherly people. — SPA