As the war in Sudan entered its fourth month mid-July, an army delegation returned to the Saudi city of Jeddah to resume truce talks last weekend. The entire Sahel region is now impacted by the conflict.
The Saudi and US-brokered talks were adjourned last month after a several truces were violated.
#Sudan government representatives arrive in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to resume talks with RSF https://t.co/qLIFyQNY1p
— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) July 17, 2023
Before the Jeddah talks were suspended, US mediators had grown increasingly frustrated with both sides' reluctance to work towards a sustained truce.
Sudan's East African neighbours also tried to encourage mediation, via the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
Kenyan President William Ruto, who wants to lead the IGAD talks, had a telephone call with Sudan’s military leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan last Sunday.
The IGAD and Jeddah processes must work together to facilitate the realisation of a permanent ceasefire in Sudan. They must also push for the free movement of humanitarian assistance, the protection of refugees and the reactivation of the Political Process.
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) July 16, 2023
Held a telephone call…
Khartoum's foreign ministry had previously objected to Ruto's leadership, accusing Nairobi of siding with the RSF.
Egypt also tried to increase peace efforts by receiving Sudan's neighbours for a meeting in Cairo on Thursday last week.
Destabilising the Sahel region
While the Sudanese are still waiting the outcome of these talks, the war between the two rival generals, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, known as Hemedti, entered its fourth month on Saturday, 15 July.
Since it began on April 15, fighting has already killed more than 3,000 lives, and displaced more than three million people with half a million fleeing to Egypt, Central African Republic, Sudan, and Chad.
13,800 people fleeing the violence in Sudan have arrived in CAR.
— MSF UK Press Office (@MSF_Press) July 17, 2023
To date, 1,200 of them have been relocated to Birao. From May 12 to July 10, our emergency team there treated 1,154 patients and have vaccinated over 7,000 children against measles and other diseases. #Sudan pic.twitter.com/nAMN8oTze2
Chad is one of the most affected countries,and has received thousands of refugees, while already suffering from drought and food shortages itself.
War crimes
Last week, the United Nations said they discovered a mass grave in West Darfur with 87 bodies.
The UN high commissioner for Human Rights has demanded a “thorough and independent investigation” into activity in the region.
The International Criminal Court launched a probe on Thursday into suspected war crimes, including sexual violence and civilians being targeted for their ethnicity.
Statement of #ICC Prosecutor @KarimKhanQC to the @UN Security Council on the situation in #Darfur, pursuant to Resolution 1593 (2005)⤵️https://t.co/I1NrmRibJu
— Int'l Criminal Court (@IntlCrimCourt) July 14, 2023
In the Sudanese capital Khartoum, witnesses reported clashes and heavy fighting.
Experts believe that both Burhan and Daglo are both aiming for military victory much more than a negotiated peace.
But Sudan's international partners keep pushing for a ceasefire and a dialogue to resolve the deadly conflict.
Mustafa Mohamed Ibrahim, advisor to #RSF commander, expects a comprehensive ceasefire in #Sudan and talks on the political process to start before the end of the month. Negotiations are currently under way with Saudi-American mediation in #Jeddah. https://t.co/Ih347NTGPZ
— Patrick Heinisch (@PatrickHeinisc1) July 18, 2023
(with AFP)
