African Union (AU)Movements.. “Trying the (tried”

Sudan Events – Abdel Basset Idris

The statement of the African Peace and Security Council (APSC)regarding Sudan sparked widespread reactions, at a time when the statement was met with popular rejection, because it represents a reproduction of the same decisions and initiatives of the African Union and its affiliated institutions regarding the ongoing war in Sudan and falls under the name of “trying the tried” from previous initiatives that did not move forward due to the position of the African Union, which aligns with the Rapid Support RSF Militia.
The most prominent points mentioned in the statement:

The statement stated that the African Peace and Security Council APSC strongly condemns the ongoing war in Sudan and its negative impact on the Sudanese people and the region, and the accompanying violations of human rights, international human rights law, and international humanitarian law.
The statement called on the warring parties, namely the Rapid Support Forces RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces SAF to stop fighting immediately and give priority to the interests of Sudan and its people.
The African Peace and Security Council APSC expressed its grave concern over the unprecedented catastrophic humanitarian situation, the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians, and the indiscriminate destruction of infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, water purification and power generation plants, as well as diplomatic missions’ facilities, in clear violation of international humanitarian law, human rights and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
It expressed its deep concern over the continuing violence in various parts of Sudan, particularly in the Khartoum-Omdurman area, and in Darfur, particularly in El Fasher, Gezira state and Kordofan States, and warned of the potentially serious ethnic and societal consequences of the conflict;
It stressed the importance of protecting the Sudanese state, its institutions and its people.
The statement affirmed that there is no sustainable military solution to the conflict; and that only a truly comprehensive dialogue can lead to a sustainable solution to the current situation.
It renewed its urgent demand that the warring parties immediately and unconditionally cease fighting to return to negotiations and end the suffering of the Sudanese people.
He called on the warring parties to allow humanitarian access and protect humanitarian workers, to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to the population in need, especially women, children, the elderly and other vulnerable groups caught up in the conflict, without delay and without conditions, in accordance with international humanitarian law and practices related to the protection of civilians, humanitarian and health workers, and recalled in this context UN Security Council Resolution 2736 (2024) calling for the lifting of the siege of El Fasher.
He condemned in the strongest possible terms the allegations of widespread atrocity crimes committed as a result of the conflict between the warring parties in flagrant violation of the African Union’s legal instruments on human and peoples’ rights, as well as international humanitarian and human rights law, and mandated the African Union AU and its relevant organs, in cooperation with the High-Level Committee on Sudan and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), to monitor and regularly report on these heinous crimes committed throughout Sudan, to develop preventive measures and reduce the risk of their recurrence, and to develop proposals on how to address them to prevent their escalation, as well as to develop a plan to protect civilians, and warned that their perpetrators will be held accountable.
The council assigned a high-level committee headed by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to bring Burhan and Hemeti together.
Most notable observations:
Political analyst Mustafa Abdullah Saeed told Sudan Events that the statement of the African Peace and Security Council is a compilation of previous positions of the African Union that the Sudanese government refused to deal with.
Saeed believes that the decisions of the Peace Council meetings did not depart from the position of the leadership of the African Union institutions biased towards Hemeti’s militia. He pointed out that the statement deliberately neglected to identify the party that is committing violations of international and humanitarian law and committing war crimes and forced displacement against Sudanese citizens and obstructing the flow of food, goods and medicine to citizens, affirming that the perpetrator of these crimes is known to the Sudanese people, which is Hemeti’s militia, which was condemned by the report of the Committee of Experts composed of the UN Security Council and reports of international organizations and the international press. Saeed considered the failure of the African Union and its mechanisms to condemn Hemeti’s militia or determine its responsibility for committing crimes and equating it with the Sudanese army with texts that are deeply biased towards the militia as an encouragement of rebellion and the flourishing of terrorism in Africa
Setting the stage:

Earlier, the US envoy to Sudan, Tom Perriello, said that regional forces would be an alternative to the army’s absence from the negotiations. The same envoy had previously spoken about consultations taking place in the region, specifically in the African Union and the IGAD organization, to discuss what he called the protection of civilians.
The Sudanese government is adhering to Jeddah platform, and is linking the return to resume negotiations to the implementation by the Rapid Support RSF Militia of what was signed in May of last year in Jeddah and the necessity for the militia to leave the homes of citizens and civilian dignitaries.
The US-Saudi mediation has so far failed to oblige Hemeti’s militia to implement the Jeddah Agreement.

Museveni’s failure:

Museveni and the heads of IGAD countries failed to hold a previous meeting between the President of the Sovereignty Council TSC Commander in chief of the SAF Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and the militia leader, Hemeti, after the former agreed to that, but IGAD and its heads received Hemeti with an official reception despite their knowledge of the decision to dismiss him from his position as Vice President of the Sovereignty Council TSC , in addition to their prior knowledge of the decision to dissolve the Rapid Support Forces RSF after their rebellion, and IGAD sent an official letter to the government apologizing for the inability to meet Al-Burhan and Hemeti for reasons it said were “technical” that prevented the latter from arriving to attend the meeting.
In return, the Sudanese government took the decision to suspend Sudan’s membership in the IGAD organization. Diplomatic expert Moawia Sharif interprets the African Peace and Security Council’s assignment of the same mission to Museveni once again as a cunning attempt to find a negotiated solution for Hemeti’s militia. Sharif believes that the Sudanese Foreign Ministry must adhere to its previous position on IGAD and the African Union AU and consider that everything issued by the African Peace and Security Council does not mean anything to Sudan as a result of the African Union freezing its membership and not consulting with it on matters related to the present and future of its people.
Is military intervention possible?:
Security and military expert Major General “M” Mohamed Ibrahim told (Sudan Events ) that the decision of the African Peace and Security Council is clear and embodies the conspiracy in its clearest form.
Ibrahim said that it is an attempt to twist the arm of the Sudanese army SAF after it was able to repel the coup and war conspiracy with military merit, supported by its people.
He added, “The best way for Sudan to deal with it is to send a plane for members of the African Peace and Security Council and bring them to visit those affected by the militia war to assess their conditions and present their decisions to the citizens as the affected stakeholders.” Ibrahim warned of the African Union scenario, which might address the UN Security Council that the war in Sudan has become a serious threat to African security and peace.
With this danger, whether the Security Council deals with it or not, the African Union, in accordance with its charters, might move to take a decision to intervene militarily.
Ibrahim does not rule out that the move will find support and funding from America, the European Union, and the United Arab Emirates UAE in particular. Ibrahim called on the Sudanese government to prepare for this scenario with all available mechanisms.