Sudan peace negotiations: The urgent need for humanitarian relief

17 December 2023

Sudan has been engulfed in civil war since fighting erupted on 15 April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The violence has worsened an already existing direhumanitarian situation in the nation. Before the conflict broke out, Sudan was already experiencing a humanitarian crisis with more than 15 million people facing severe food insecurity and more than 3.7 million internally displaced persons. Additionally, the country was also hosting 1.3 million refugees mostly from South Sudan.

The conflict has left more than 12,000 people dead and displaced more than 6 million people within and outside Sudan. The conflict has also led to the massive destruction of Sudan’s infrastructure especially in and around Khartoum, Darfur, and Kordofan. Air strikes and shelling have hit hospitals, prisons, schools, and other facilities in densely populatedresidential areas. Millions of people lack access to clean water, and rising food and fuel costs are exacerbating food insecurity. The United Nations estimates that more than half of Sudan’s population needs aid and protection.

A Ceasefire agreement between the warring parties is the only hope for the Sudanese people as this would open safe humanitarian corridors and allow international organizations to enter and distribute relief/aid and also allow millions of displaced people to return home. It is however unfortunate that Sudan’s warring factions are failing to agree on a ceasefire that could help delivery of aid and stop the mounting death toll in the country.

Neither the African Union (AU) nor the East Africa’s Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) disparate peace processes have achieved their primary objectives including providing an effective humanitarian response, protecting civilians and civil infrastructure, and arranging face-to-face meetings between the leadership of the warring parties to find a political settlement. Efforts to secure peace have been hindered by coordination and collaboration problems between the AU and IGAD. Additionally, lack of resources and capacity, and poor leverage over the conflicting parties have posed a big challenge. Faced with similar challenges, and assurances from the United States (US) and Saudi Arabia, the Jeddah process has dominated peace-making efforts.

Only the Jeddah process has produced tangible results in the search for peace in Sudan. Peace talks started in May 2023 brokered by the US and Saudi Arabia yielded brief truces but even those were eventually violated. The Jeddah negotiations resumed in late October in partnership with the AU and IGAD. This time the warring parties showedwavering political will to end the crisis. Although the negotiations were unable to reach a ceasefire, on 7 November 2023 the two parties reached an agreement defining measures to facilitate humanitarian access to civilians and implementconfidence-building measures such as opening communication channels and allowing the arrest of former regime leaders who escaped from prison and detention centers at the beginning of the war and joined the army. However, on 3 December 2023, the Jeddah negotiation was indefinitely halted reportedly due to the failure of both parties to fulfill their obligations, including implementing agreed-upon confidence-building measures and withdrawing military forces from key cities.

Afraid that the conflict may escalate, IGAD heads of states scheduled an emergency sitting on 9 December in Djibouti to discuss the war in Sudan. This was scheduled after a meeting on Thursday between Djiboutian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Youssef and the Executive Secretary of IGAD, Warkini Kabihou. The meeting was chaired by H.E. Ismail Omar Guelleh, President of the Republic of Djibouti and the Chairperson of the IGAD Heads of State and Government. Those in attendance included; H.E. Dr. Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, H.E. Dr. William Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya, H.E. Dr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, H.E. General Abdel Fattah Al- Burhan, the Chairman of the Transitional Sovereign Council of the Republic of Sudan among others. The Assembly Welcomed the Humanitarian Access Agreement signed severally by the parties to the conflict in Jeddah on 7 November 2023 and the four (4) confidence-building measuresagreed between the parties and subsequent steps taken towards implementation and called on the parties to honor their agreement and commitment. It Resolved to redouble efforts and work towards better and closer collaboration andcoordination with all stakeholders to mobilize full political and diplomatic support for IGAD and the AU to effectivelydischarge their critical role in delivering a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict and for IGAD to convene quarterly toreview the state of progress of the peace process in Sudan.

If honored, the Humanitarian Access Agreement will be a stepping stone towards attaining peace in Sudan and a saving grace for the Sudanese people on the brink of starvation.

Why Peace talks have failed to yield

1. The conflict is no longer between two parties. Groups of armed men also known as militias, back the RSF, while the SAF is supported by Shadow brigades such as the Baraa Ibn Malik Brigade and members of the dissolved Popular Defence Forces militia.
2. Sources say that the conflict has helped the RSF maintain an illegal line of revenues that trickle down to support militias in far-flung regions. And therefore, stopping the war could mean breaking this bond between the RSF and those affiliated

• The former regime remnants who are supporting SAF High command, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Sudanese Armed Forces see the conflict as their way to regain the lost power and hence are not motivated to lay down arms.

1. Increased suspicion between the parties. The war that broke out in April was a result of misunderstandings over security transitions. Now it has created more suspicions between parties as they both seek to gain strength on the ground.

Recommendations

1. The warring parties are called upon to honour the Humanitarian Access Agreement signed by the parties to the conflict in Jeddah on 7 November 2023 and take subsequent steps towards implementation of the same.
2. The co-facilitators of the Jeddah talks should focus on effectively coordinating and collaborating with security and humanitarian actors to develop strategies and guidelines, boost skills and expertise, and secure sustainable funding for humanitarian agencies.
3. The AU should appoint a high-level political champion for humanitarian issues to secure member-state support for existing measures and increase contributions to the Special Emergency Assistance Fund. This will increase the AU’s capacity to provide humanitarian support to states in crisis.

Ms. Aacha Sharon Ojema

Program Officer, Monitoring and Documentation

ACJPS