African leaders committee seeks Sudan ceasefire

July 10, 2024 (Addis Ababa) – The African Peace and Security Council has established a special committee of African Heads of State and Government to mediate the Sudanese conflict. The committee will engage with Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Rapid Support Forces leader Mohamed Hamdan “Hemeti” to achieve an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.

Today, Wednesday, preliminary deliberations of Sudan’s political process began in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, under the auspices of the African Union. Some organizations from the democratic camp and women’s groups participated in the opening meeting.

About 20 Sudanese political groups participated in the meeting, the most prominent of which were the “Return to the Nation Platform”, the “Democratic Alliance”, the “National Movement Force”, the “Sudan Justice Alliance”, the “National Consensus Group”, “Women’s Representatives”, some representatives of the “Indigenous Government”, the “People’s Congress Party” and other political entities.

The Democratic Civil Forces Coordination Organization “Tagadum”, the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdul Wahid Nur, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (North) led by Abdul Aziz Al-Hilu, the Sudan Communist Party and the Arab Socialist Baath Party did not participate.

In his opening speech, African Peace and Security Council Chairman Monger Mimbi said the African Union “has decided to hold a special African summit on Sudan in the coming months.”

He called the situation in Sudan catastrophic and stressed that the Council’s recent presidential-level meeting had agreed that the African Peace and Security Council should make a ceasefire its top priority.

He noted that “a special committee consisting of heads of state and government has been established to deal with the issue of the conflicting parties ‘Burhan and Hemedi’ for an unconditional and immediate ceasefire, and the committee will begin its work next week.”

Mimbi called for the establishment of a platform that reflects the unified voice of civilians and consensus on a single vision for the renaissance of Sudan’s unity, stressing that the Peace Council supports the establishment of peace in Sudan.

The Council expressed deep concern about foreign intervention and the provision of financial and military support to both sides, which is exacerbating the conflict.

Membe revealed that the African Peace and Security Council instructed the sanctions committee to identify the source of this support and asked the African Union Commission to explore ways to protect civilians.

He stressed that since the outbreak of the conflict in Sudan, the Council has been working hard and convening meetings at various levels to resolve the conflict.

He expressed regret that the conflict continued despite international efforts to prevent the fighting from spreading to other parts of Sudan.

He noted that there are reports that the conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces has left more than 100,000 people dead since mid-April 2023.

Membe noted that the humanitarian crisis in Sudan has reached critical levels, with reports of impending famine and the number of displaced persons rising to 10 million, in addition to 2 million refugees fleeing to neighboring countries. He noted that there are documented violations of international human rights law, racial discrimination, sexual violations and destruction of infrastructure in Sudan.

In the same context, IGAD Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu said the organization has been helping the parties negotiate since the outbreak of the war, but the efforts have stalled due to obstruction by supporters of the conflict.

In his speech at the preparatory meeting, Gebayehu stressed that dialogue is crucial to restoring Sudan’s constitutional order, and pointed out that the political process must be inclusive and broadly representative.

He added: “This process must be led by the Sudanese people because this conflict has already seen a lot of external interference.”

He called on those involved in the process to send a clear message to those obstructing ceasefire and negotiations.

In his opening remarks, the African Union Commissioner’s Representative and Head of the Commission’s Political, Peace and Security Affairs, Adekoni Bankoli, outlined the first round of consultations of the mandate.

Bankoli said preparations for the political process were being carried out in cooperation with the African Peace and Security Council, the Arab League, the United States and IGAD.

He called on participants to follow the methodology of comprehensive consultation and constructive dialogue.

He added: “We call on all parties present to be guided by comprehensive consultations, constructive dialogue and the African ideal peace plan.”

He stressed that work must be done together, without political differences, to protect the Sudanese people, protect civilians and ensure access to assistance, especially trapped women, children and the elderly.

The Political Commissioner also stressed that there will be no military solution to Sudan’s conflict, saying: “We must work to protect Sudanese civilians, prevent the conflict from spreading to neighboring countries, and restore constitutional order in Sudan.”