SalaaMedia Report
Approaching the end of the second year of war in Sudan, humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate at all levels, leaving behind unimaginable tragedies, that it has been described as the greatest humanitarian disaster in modern human history. Not only did this war destroyed infrastructure and social relations but also put the entire young generations’ future at risk. Therefore, calls to stop the continuous shed of blood and resources become of great importance at all levels in order to shape the states and society future in Sudan.
This report relied mainly on previous reports by the SalaaMedia Center that reviewed the humanitarian situation in Darfur, peace endeavors and efforts made in this regard. It also includes subsequent developments; situations update, and its generated results and recommendations drawn from analysis of the data accumulated from the previous reports.
The conflict in Darfur dates back to the mid-1980s, and some sources attribute its initial beginnings to environmental degradation resulting from the wave of drought and desertification that struck the sub-Saharan African belt in that era. But these beginnings were not free from the state’s political influence through policies of forming armed tribal militias. However, the actual beginning of the Darfur crisis was in 2003, when groups from the region revolted against the so-called Salvation Revolution (Inqaz) Regime. Therefore, the Ingaz regime’s decision in 1994 to divide Darfur into three states instead of one region is considered one of the political reasons that led to eruption of the armed conflict.
The Toll of Humanitarian Disasters
Since the beginning of the current war, rates of violations in the region have increased, and their aspects have varied, ranging from killing and displacement, to obstructing accessibility to humanitarian aid, which has been described as the largest disaster the region has ever witnessed. For example, but not limited to, at least 1,100 people were killed on June 20, 2023, in Western Darfur, and 80% of El Geneina’s residents fled their homes. According to a recent report by Human Rights Watch, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) committed widespread looting and burning, and destroyed vital infrastructure, such as hospitals, schools, and markets in Western Darfur, besides IDP camps. At least seven other areas were also attacked and burned during the period from April to July 2023, with at least 200 people killed. Since then, more than 300,000 people have fled to Chad.
In South Darfur, fighting between the two warring parties and air strikes, in August and September, killed at least 50 people and forced other 50,000 to flee.
In North Darfur, the ongoing battles since the beginning of the war have left a large number of dead, amounting to about 750 people and 4,700 injured, with an estimated 90,000 citizens displaced. Al Fashir town in particular has suffered a long siege since May 2024, extending for more than six months. During that period, Al Fashir was subjected to widespread destruction of its infrastructure, including health and educational facilities, roads, and others, as a result of mutual artillery shelling between the warring parties. All this resulted in massive displacement, amounting to about 1.5 million people in North Darfur state alone according to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in addition to famine and the widespread acute malnutrition among children, elderly, and pregnant and lactating women. In the latest update on the displacement movement in Darfur, IOM indicated that during 7th to 21st of November 2024, about 783,053 people were displaced from West Darfur, 1,601,353 from North Darfur, 1,830,930 from South Darfur, and 310,402 from Central Darfur, bringing the total displacement to more than 4.5 million people, which is a record number in six months (May to November 2024) of the siege of Al Fashir, where confrontations between the warring parties in the region escalated.
Calls for Peace:
As the war continued and the humanitarian situation worsened, local, regional and international efforts and initiatives emerged to push for stopping the war and bring peace. In this section of the report, we will review the initiatives, explore the proposed solutions, and examine reactions on them.
Local initiatives: Popular Initiative in Al Daein town, October 14, 2023
A popular initiative was launched in Al Daein, the capital of East Darfur State, to combat manifestations of carrying weapons, assaulting public and private property, and as well calling for acceptance of others. The initiative pointed at the large vacuum created by the absence of police and security services after the due to war, which resulted to security imbalances. Such has prompted the youth of Al-Daein and the members of the Native Administration to seek to provide security in the town.
Al Fashir Initiative, August 2024:
National, political, academic, social, cultural and sports figures, as well as local and youth leaders, had announced an Initiative in Al Fashir. These figures addressed both leaders of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in order to stop the war and bloodshed; and resort to find effective means of civilians protect. The initiative involved Abdel Wahid Mohamed Nour, head of Sudan Liberation Army/ Movement, Professor Siddiq Tawor, former member of the Sovereign Council, Sharif Siddiq al-Hindi, head of the Unionist Party (mainstream), Mrs. Sarah Nuqdallah, Mr. Alim Abbas, Mrs. Dorah Qambo, Dr. Iman Abdel Rahman, Mr. Mudathir Fadul Musa, Mr. Ahmed Al-Sanhouri, Ambassador Ibrahim Jaafar Al-Suri and others. The initiative by Dr. Al-Hadi Idris, the former member of the Sovereign Council, was in the same direction of events considering the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in t Al Fashir following the siege. It called opening safe corridors to the town to deliver humanitarian aid and relief materials to civilians.
National Initiatives: Addis Ababa Declaration, December 2023
The Addis Ababa Declaration is essentially an extension to national initiatives that preceded it, which were put forward by various parties, most notably the Civil Transformation Support Initiative, or what was known as the University of Khartoum Teachers Initiative, which came as a proactive step to avoid war. The initiative included a group of professors from University of Khartoum, Sudan University, Al-Nilein University, University of Gezira, and Sas Legal Center, along with Oil & Gas Workers Association. Immediately after the the beginning of war, the Civil Bloc – which includes civil society organizations- launched an initiative on July 24, 2023, that stipulating the necessity to establish a civil government and forming a unified national army with exclusion of the warring parties from politics.
All previous initiatives, in one way or another, formed the basis for Addis Ababa Declaration, launched by the Coordination of Civil and Democratic Forces (Taqadum) in December 2023. It called for a face-to-face meeting between SAF Commander-in-Chief and RSF Commander. The declaration adopted main points such as; cessation of hostilities, delivery of humanitarian aid, and protection of civilians; ending the war and establish the Sudanese state; agree on a road map and implementation mechanisms.
The National Mechanism to Support Civil and Democratic Transformation in Sudan, October 4, 2023:
The mechanism which includes Sudanese political figures, headed by the former member of the Sovereign Council, Madam/ Aisha Musa, called on Lt. General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan to stop the devastating war in the country. The initiative contained a plan for stopping the war and form an emergency government that would undertake the implementation of national obligations on development and urbanization; open humanitarian corridors to deliver humanitarian assistance to Khartoum and Darfur states; and relief the affected Sudanese.
Regional and international initiatives: United Nations Call:
On July 5, 2024, the United Nations (UN) called on SAF and RSF to hold indirect talks, in Geneva in the same month, to discuss facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid to people affected by the fighting as well as the protection of civilians. The Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, Ramtane Lamamra, sent a letter to SAF Commander-in-Chief, Lt. General Abdel Burhan, on June 26, proposing to send a limited, high-level delegation to Geneva on July 10, 2024, in order to begin discussions with the RSF under the auspices of the UN. The UN’s call to both parties focused on the importance of ensuring the distribution of humanitarian aid and examining options to protect civilians. The Security Council requested the Secretary-General, in consultation with the Sudanese authorities and regional stakeholders, to make additional recommendations for the protection of civilians in Sudan, building on the existing mediation mechanisms and efforts. He also urged the warring parties to seek an immediate cessation of hostilities, leading to a sustainable solution to the conflict through dialogue.
Geneva was the latest invitation to negotiations between the warring parties, which was welcomed by SRF, according to a statement by its commander on X (Twitter). On the other hand, SAF commander tweeted that he had spoken to the US Secretary of State informing him of the need to address the Sudanese government concerns before starting any negotiations.
Arab League Initiative, March 2024
In an effort limit the deterioration of humanitarian situation and living conditions of the Sudanese people and to preserve their gains; and keep the safety of the Sudanese state, its institutions and facilities, the initiative called for an immediate cessation of all hostilities in Sudan, without restrictions or conditions, and strengthen the commitment to the truce. It stressed the readiness of member states to provide all forms of emergency humanitarian support, as well as medical and nutritional services, through specialized ministerial councils in coordination with Sudanese authorities, international, and regional organizations.
Libya Initiative, February 2024
The head of Libyan Interim National Unity Government, Abdul Hamid Al-Dabaiba, announced an initiative to bring peace and a ceasefire to Sudan, by drawing the warring parties’ viewpoints closer.
Manama Agreement, January 2024:
According to Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper, SAF’s Assistant Commander-in- Chief, Lt. General Shams al-Din al-Kabashi, and the RSF’s Deputy Commander, Lt. General Abdul Rahim Dagalo, signed an agreement in Bahraini capital, Manama, on January 20, 2024. The agreement contained 22 items. Its main points stipulated:
1.Forming a national army from RSF and the other armed movements.
2.Building and re-establishing security forces (police and intelligence services) and adopting the principle of fair distribution of opportunities among Sudanese.
3.Arrest the wanted persons by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
4.Dismantle the Islamist regime that ruled the country in the past three decades.
5.Alleviate the suffering of the people.
6.Reach solutions to end the war crisis, through Sudanese Sudanese dialogue.
Sudan Neighboring Countries Initiative, July 2023:
On July 13, 2023, Egypt invited the head of states and governments of Central African Republic, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya and South Sudan, to a summit of Sudan’s neighboring countries in Cairo. In the presence of the Chairman of the African Union Commission and the League of Arab States, the summit discussed how to address the Sudanese crisis. The neighboring countries agreed to a set of principles representing the initiative’s framework to resolve the war crisis in Sudan, summarized as follows:
1.Calling on the warring parties to stop the escalation and commit to an immediate and sustainable ceasefire to end the war.
2.Emphasize the full respect for the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Sudan; band interference in Sudan’s internal affairs; dealing with the existing conflict as a Sudanese internal matter; and stress the importance of external parties’ non-interference in the crisis.
3.Emphasizing the importance of preserving the Sudanese state; its capabilities and institutions; preventing its disintegration or fragmentation and chaos, including terrorism and organized crimes in its surroundings, which will have and extreme dangerous repercussions on the security and stability of neighboring countries and the region as a whole.
4.Dealing with the current crisis and its humanitarian consequences in a serious and comprehensive manner.
5.Facilitating access to humanitarian aid provided to Sudan through the territories of neighboring countries in coordination with relevant international agencies and organizations.
Saudi American Mediation (Jeddah Talks) May 2023:
Since early dates of war, the Saudi American Mediation and the United Nations have called SAF and RSF for seven rounds of talks, which didn’t yield tangible results, despite the two parties signing a ceasefire in the Jeddah on May 21, 2023. The main elements of Jeddah Agreement, signed on November 7, 2023, contained the warring parties’ obligations in the Ceasefire Declaration, which are:
1.Engaging in a joint humanitarian mechanism led by the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), to address obstacles to the delivery of relief assistance.
2.Identifying contact points to facilitate the passage and transit of humanitarian and aid workers.
3.Implementing confidence-building measures regarding:
-Establish a communication mechanism between SAF and RSF leaders
-Detain fugitives.
-Improve media content of both parties and reduce harshness of media language.
-Take action against any parties provoking and fueling the escalation of conflict.
African Union initiative:
The African Union (AU) presented an African roadmap as a framework for resolving the worsening crisis in Sudan in May 2023. The AU African Peace and Security Council welcomed the 6-points map, which include:
1.Reaching a permanent ceasefire and making Khartoum a demilitarized capital.
2.Deploying the warring parties’ forces to assembling centers 50 kilometers away towns.
3.Deploying African forces to guard strategic institutions in the capital.
4.Addressing the poor humanitarian conditions resulting from the war.
5.Involving police and security forces in the process of securing public facilities.
6.Starting a political process to resolve the crisis once and for all.
IGAD Initiative, April 2023:
The Inter-Governmental Authorities for Development (IGAD launched an initiative aiming to draw closer the views of various parties in Sudan, with the hope to resolve disputes over power-sharing between the military and civilians striving to achieve a civilian rule. This initiative contained a brief proposal to resolve the raging crisis in Sudan.
Fact-finding Mission:
The UN Human Rights Council established a fact-finding mission pursuant to the resolution issued in October 2023. The mission’s tasks included investigating all alleged violations and abuses of human rights; violations of international humanitarian laws; crimes committed against refugees; and crimes in the context of the ongoing armed conflict between SAF, RSF and other parties to the conflict. The mission had to work on proving facts, circumstances and root causes thereof. The mission concluded in its report that both sides of the war in Sudan committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, which constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law and the International Bill of Human Rights. In its report, the mission recommended deploying an independent and neutral force charged with protecting civilians, expanding the scope of the arms embargo to cover the whole Sudan, and obliging international and regional actors to adhere to Resolution 1556 issued by the UN Security Council regarding the arms embargo in Darfur and its subsequent resolutions. It also recommended that the Security Council expand the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to cover the entire territory of Sudan, urgently consider establishing a separate international judicial mechanism to work alongside the ICC and explore other paths to justice to ensure perpetrators are held accountable.
A great similarity has been noticed in the terms of all local, regional or international peace calls and initiatives focusing on three central issues: ceasefire, delivery of aid, and protection of civilians, while the political solution to the crisis took different approach. Jeddah platform separated the humanitarian action track from the political solution, however, the principles set forward on the document adopted by Sudan Neighboring Countries, under Egyptian, integrated all tracks into one set and focused on issues such as non-interference in Sudanese internal affairs, sovereignty, inclusive participation and humanitarian issues.
The most prominent features of the Manama Agreement were the focus on security and military issues, with the issue of merging the armies and reforming the security services as the heart of the agreement. In the political framework, the agreement called for a Sudanese Sudanese dialogue as a basis for a political solution. International initiatives, especially the UN’s, have focused on the humanitarian approach, providing support to affected civilians, and securing routes for delivering aid to various states of Sudan as a priority. The AU’s initiative also proposed a ceasefire, evacuating cities from military manifestations, separating forces, humanitarian intervention, and launching steps for a political solution as a final threshold. In general, there is agreement among all initiatives on the paramount importance of stopping the fighting and providing humanitarian aid as an entry point to any peace processes.
Local Responses to Various Peace Initiatives:
The opinions of the warring parties and the Sudanese political forces varied regarding the various initiatives. They came as follows:
1.SAF’s position remained wavering and unstable regarding all the initiatives that were proposed. Despite agreeing to all of them and signing some, they did not commit to implement whatever agreed upon items in most cases. For example, they signed Jeddah Declaration, but did not commit to implementing it, and even harshly criticized it directly in more than one occasion. They also signed the Manama Agreement and eventually evaded it, as well as accepting the African Union’s proposal, but did not abide to. Adding to that, their approval to Sudan’s neighboring countries proposals, which they jumped off.
2. Similarly, RSF was a party to all the agreements, yet they did not commit to implement them, despite their repeated declaration of seeking to achieve peace, unlike SAF, which always prefer militarized solution over negotiated political ones.
3. Armed Movements are divided siding with SAF, e. g: Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), led by Dr. Jibril Ibrahim; Sudan Liberation Movement Army (SLMA), Minawi’s wing and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), Malik Agar’s wing, while other movements remained neutral, such as Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) led by Abdel Wahid Nour, along with others.
4. Other political forces opted to have divided and varied positions ranging from, supporting a negotiated solution, led by the Coordination of Civil Democratic Forces (Taqadum), which calls for dialogue as a basis for a solution, or supporting the SAF such as the National Congress Party and the Democratic Civic Bloc.
Report recommendations:
For the Conflicting Parties:
1.Committing to the four Geneva Conventions, especially the Fourth Protocol relating to the protection of civilians.
2.Opening corridors and boarder-cross-points to deliver humanitarian aid to those affected in Darfur and other regions of Sudan.
To the international community:
1.Placing relieving affected people within conflict areas; putting pressure on both parties to secure to open corridors for delivery of aid among top priorities.
2.Establishing a mechanism to protect civilians in conflict areas in accordance with international humanitarian laws, which authorizes relevant international institutions to protect civilians who reports confirm their continual exposure to serious violations by the two warring parties.
3.Advocating and support calls for flight embargo.
4.Providing support and resources to international organizations and civil society organizations working to help civilians in conflict areas, IDP camps and refugee camps in neighboring countries.
Regional community:
1.Unifying all regional efforts and initiatives under one platform, as the multiplicity of initiatives and platforms enabled the warring parties to maneuver and touring the initiative market, which would increase the suffering of civilians and the duration of war.
2.Facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid through across-boarders to Sudan, especially neighboring countries.
3.Providing protection for refugees fleeing the war to the neighboring countries.
Civil society organizations:
1.Work to monitor and document all violations committed by warring parties
2.Work to unification and coordination of efforts among all civil society organizations.
3.Focus on protection of civilians and assist the affected in conflict areas, IDP and refugee camps in neighboring countries.