AlUla, Saudi Arabia — Health ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states convened in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday to discuss how to improve healthcare systems in the region.
The meeting, chaired by Omani Minister of Health Dr. Hilal bin Ali Al-Sabti, also touched upon partnerships in the health sector, as well as the exchange of medical expertise.
The ministers discussed the health and humanitarian developments in Sudan, seeking to enhance and unify relief efforts since the outbreak of the crisis there.
The meeting came under the directive of the GCC leaders, with Secretary-General Jassim Mohammed Al-Budaiwi appreciating the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for carrying out the largest evacuation operations from Sudan.
The meeting took place amidst fighting in Sudan’s capital city, Khartoum, that entered its fourth week on Saturday.
The United States and Saudi Arabia issued a joint statement calling for a ceasefire and talks between Sudan’s de facto leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy turned rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
Both sides were reported to have representatives at the talks in Jeddah, although there was no immediate indication that they had begun.
Witnesses reported that warplanes pounded various parts of Khartoum on Saturday morning, while the RSF and the army accused each other of opening fire on the Turkish ambassador’s car.
Since April 15, at least 700 people have been killed in the conflict, and thousands more have been wounded and displaced internally or across the border to neighboring countries.
According to the Sudanese doctors’ union, 479 of the dead were civilians, and another 2,518 civilians were wounded.
The direct talks came following warnings from US intelligence chief Avril Haines of a “protracted” conflict that would “create a greater potential for spillover challenges in the region”.