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June 6, 2024 (Cairo) – Sudanese political forces attending a conference in Cairo expressed support for ending the war, but leaders of pro-military movements refused to sign the final statement. They pointed out that there was no clear condemnation of human rights violations committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) against civilians.
The conference, organized by the Egyptian government on Saturday, was aimed at uniting Sudanese political forces and building support for resolving the conflict, but was overshadowed by divisions among them.
The final statement announced the establishment of a committee to continue discussions and seek a lasting peace. The statement stressed the need to maintain Sudan as a united nation based on citizenship and a federal, democratic, civic state.
In addition, participants agreed on the need to stop the fighting and avoid repeating the mistakes that led to the failure of the transition in the past. Discussions at the meeting focused on “the need for an immediate cessation of the war, including the establishment of mechanisms, means and monitoring of a permanent ceasefire and cessation of hostilities”.
However, the statement was limited to condemning “all violations committed during the war” and made no mention of the paramilitary forces, which human rights groups accuse of crimes against humanity, war crimes, killings of civilians, rape and pillage.
As the final statement did not explicitly condemn the Rapid Security Forces, leaders of the military-allied movements, including Minni Minawi of the Sudan Liberation Movement, Jibril Ibrahim of the Justice and Equality Movement, and Malik Agar of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North Revolutionary Front, refused to sign the statement.
Minawi expressed disappointment with Platform X, thanking Egypt for facilitating the meeting but criticizing the statement for not adequately addressing the suffering of the victims.
“Thanks to Egypt, which, after making concessions, offered Sudan the opportunity to meet, thinking that the meeting would express sympathy for the victims by condemning the actions of the Rapid Support Forces, but the final statement disappointed the Sudanese people, especially the victims. Therefore, we are not concerned about a statement that does not include sympathy for the people,” he wrote.
The final communique was signed by Jaafar Mohammed Osman Mirghani, leader of the Democratic Union Party and chairman of the pro-military Democratic Bloc. But he issued a statement saying it did not explicitly condemn the rebels’ attacks on Sinja, cities hosting internally displaced persons, and atrocities committed in Darfur.
The statement noted the role played by external forces in the conflict and called on countries and entities that directly or indirectly support the warring parties to stop fueling the war in Sudan.
On the humanitarian front, participants agreed on the importance of delivering aid to save millions of Sudanese lives and called for the protection of humanitarian workers to ensure they do not face danger or persecution by the warring parties.
In his opening speech, Egypt’s new Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Ati stressed that any political process aimed at resolving the Sudanese crisis must respect Sudan’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and not interfere in its internal affairs.
He also stressed the need to preserve the state and its institutions, underscoring the “importance of the unity of the Sudanese Armed Forces in protecting Sudan and ensuring the safety of its citizens.”
The meeting was attended by former Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, Tagadum leaders and several leaders of the Civil Power Alliance including Fadlallah Burma, Babikir Fasial, Hadi Idris and Tahir Hajar.
(English stone)
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