Washington warns against dividing Sudan

United States Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Michael Hammer warned warring generals Abdelfattah El Burhan, commander of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and Mohamed ‘Hemedti’ Dagalo, commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), that their actions must reflect their commitments, confirming that the Sudanese peace talks in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah have reached a stalemate.  

The Jeddah platform was the only place where the Sudanese parties agreed to meet with the presence of the US and Saudi Arabia, and without Jeddah there would have been no Sudanese peace talks, said a statement released on Sunday evening. 

The senior US diplomatic official said during his participation in the activities of the 2023 Doha Forum on December 10 and 11, that “the situation in Sudan is terrible. If El Burhan and Hemedti do not stop, we are heading towards the division of Sudan. The division that awaits, if the warring parties continue in the same way as they have, will be worse than in Libya.” 

The US commended the prominent role played by IGAD, in coordination with the African Union and other international and regional partners in working to find a solution to the fighting between the SAF and RSF.

The US administration said that IGAD made a great effort in dealing with the humanitarian needs of the people of Sudan during the 41st extraordinary summit of leaders and governments of the organisation.

The statement welcomed the pledges made during the IGAD summit by El Burhan and Hemedti to cease fire without restrictions and to hold a face-to-face meeting between them. It called on the the warring parties to abide by these pledges and enter into talks without delay.  

In the extraordinary assembly session on the situation in Sudan that took place in Djibouti on Saturday, the member states of the Horn of Africa Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) agreed to redouble efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution to the ongoing war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).  

Rival leaders El Burhan and ‘Hemedti’ reportedly agreed to a one-to-one meeting within 15 days. The IGAD members promised to support a civilian-led political process that will move Sudan “to a viable, civil democratic rule.”  

Hours after the communiqué was released on Saturday, the FA Ministry issued a statement denying El Burhan’s agreement to meet with Hemedti without conditions. 

The US also expressed deep concern about the particular impact of the conflict on women and children, including conflict-related sexual violence.  

The United States renewed its commitment to coordinate with IGAD, the African Union, and other partners to facilitate an inclusive, Sudanese-led and civilian-owned dialogue to address transitional issues, governance, and the resumption of Sudan’s democratic transition. 

On Friday, in response to US State Secretary Anthony Blinken accusing both sides of the conflict of committing war crimes, the warring parties welcomed the US’ acknowledgement of the other side’s human rights violations, while vehemently disputing the accusations directed at them. 

According to journalist and political analyst Shawgi Abdelazim, US sanctions on Islamist leaders Salah Abdallah (better known as Salah Gosh), Taha El Hussein, and Mohamed Atta El Moula, enforced a few days before Blinken’s statement, “confirmed that this war is being run by Islamists.” 

“The army’s intransigence and rejection of peaceful solutions is a way to prove its capability and determination to its supporters,” he continued. “With diminished effectiveness in Darfur,” the army is now intensifying its efforts in Khartoum, aiming to reclaim areas and compel the RSF to leave the capital.”