CAIRO, May 4 (Xinhua) — Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry made separate phone calls on Thursday with the leaders of Sudan’s warring parties, calling for an immediate cease-fire to end the bloodshed.

Shoukry expressed “Egypt’s deep concern” over the ongoing military confrontations in Sudan, which undermines the country’s security and stability, according to a statement from Egypt’s Foreign Ministry.

He called on Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), to immediately cease fire to protect the resources of the Sudanese people and prioritize Sudan’s higher interest.

The clashes between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which broke out on April 15, have continued despite several previous truces. So far, the conflict has left more than 550 people dead and 4,926 others wounded in Sudan.

Fighting continued in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum and other parts of the country on Thursday, despite that reports that the two sides on Wednesday agreed to accept one-week truce as part of the initiative by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD).