This week, Turkey says it will continue supporting peace in Sudan. Thai official says recent attacks will make southern peace talks more difficult. Peace group calls for stronger safeguarding ahead of South Sudan elections.
Turkey Says it Will Continue Supporting Peace in Sudan
On July 29, Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan said on X that his country would continue to support peace efforts in Sudan, including meeting Sudan’s humanitarian needs and assisting with reconstruction. This was as Fidan was hosting Sudan’s foreign affairs and international cooperation Mohieddin Salem in Ankara on July 28.
Fidan said the two countries held talks on political, economic, and commercial relations, and that Turkey would continue to support conflict resolution efforts in Sudan.
Fidan said “We will continue our principled stance in support of preserving the independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Sudan, with which we share historic and deep-rooted ties; and we will continue to deepen our relations based on mutual respect and the understanding of equal partnership.”
In early July, Sudan’s government said that in order for it to accept a US peace plan, the plan must include the complete withdrawal and disarmament of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) from all cities under its rule.
Thai Official Says Recent Attacks Will Make Southern Peace Talks More Difficult
A political advisor to Thailand’s prime minister says that recent violent attacks in the country’s Southern region will make peace negotiations more difficult. The advisor, Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, said on July 27 that the attacks in Narathiwat which killed five rangers would make negotiations more difficult because each group holds differing views on the process.
Matha added that it was too early to determine whether the attackers belonged to a group involved in the peace process. He insisted that dialogue remains an important policy to achieve lasting peace in South Thailand.
Matha urged authorities to focus not only on insurgency-related violence, but also other crimes such as drug trafficking and smuggling.
Thailand’s ‘Deep South,’ which includes the provinces of Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat, as well as four districts of Songkhla province, is the center of an ongoing conflict. Muslim separatist groups, most notably the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), wish for the region to secede from the rest of Thailand. Human rights groups have criticized the Thai government’s crackdowns and heavy-handed policies in response to the insurgency.
Peace Group Calls for Stronger Safeguarding Ahead of South Sudan Elections
The peace monitoring group Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) is urging International Partners and Friends of South Sudan to bolster political, diplomatic, humanitarian, and technical support to safeguard the implementation of the Revitalised Peace Agreement (R-ARCSS) ahead of the country’s elections on December 22, 2026.
RJMEC urged international partners to sustain political engagement and coordinate diplomatic efforts to support the full implementation of the peace agreement, Sudan Post reported. The group called on development partners to extend support for humanitarian operations, recovery programmes, food security interventions, and strong solutions for millions of displaced people in the country.
Keywords: Sudan, Thailand, South Thailand, South Sudan, Ankara, Turkey, peace, conflict, conflict resolution, peace talks, dialogue, reconciliation
Tara Abhasakun is Peace News Network (PNN)'s managing editor. She is journalist based in Christchurch, New Zealand, and formerly in Bangkok, Thailand. She has reported on a range of human rights issues involving youth protests in Thailand, as well as arts and culture. Tara's work has appeared in several outlets, including Al Jazeera and South China Morning Post.
