Sudan, Where to?

Ambassador/ Dr. Salah Halima

Sudan, as a country, faces serious challenges that threaten its security, independence, unity, and territorial integrity, in light of internal conflicts and divisions among the components of Sudanese society, including its military security component, which is embodied in regular and irregular military entities. There is an intense struggle between these components and entities over power, wealth, control and influence, in light of latent and apparent independence tendencies in states in the peripheries. These conflicts and divisions are reinforced by the interventions of regional and international powers that support parties against others in different directions that are consistent with the self-interests of each of them, as a regional and international conflict rages over Sudan due to vital regional and international geopolitical considerations linked to its Arab-African identity, and to the enormous strategic natural resources it possesses, whether mining in the ground, or agricultural and pastoralism in vast areas on its surface, or in connection with marine natural resources next to Sudan’s ports located on the Red Sea. There have been many initiatives by countries, regional and international organizations, and none of them have been able to overcome these challenges. Despite the multiplicity of these initiatives, the political conflict between political parties, forces and blocs still exists, and the military conflict is still raging between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Armed Forces, which are two basic military entities in the military establishment. The scope of the military conflict has expanded to include almost most of the Sudanese states, leaving behind tragic humanitarian conditions that include huge numbers of internally displaced people and refugees abroad, especially in neighboring countries, where millions suffer from a severe shortage of food and medicine and the spread of diseases, in addition to what state institutions, facilities and buildings have been exposed to demolition and destruction of homes, theft and looting, the commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and what may resemble genocide operations in Sudanese states, almost all of which were attributed to the RSF. Thus, Sudan is witnessing a vicious circle of political and military conflict, embodied in the lack of security and stability, in crisis political conditions, deteriorating economic conditions, conflicting social affairs, tragic humanitarian issues, and unfortunate foreign interventions. This situation requires active and effective Egyptian action by virtue of its pivotal role, Egypt’s weight and influence regionally and internationally, the specificity of Egyptian-Sudanese relations in all fields, and its openness to all Sudanese parties to the components of Sudanese society, and within the framework of linking this move to the initiative of the neighboring countries on which hopes were pinned before, and the Jeddah Forum, Bahrain, which sought to reach a ceasefire as a desired goal, is still missing. With appreciation that this movement may also be undertaken by Egyptian civil components of Egyptian society, based on the specificity of the relations between the two countries, officially and popularly, and in harmony with the Egyptian executive and popular institutions and bodies, as many Sudanese civil forces are active on the Sudanese scene, each of which proposes initiatives. In this regard, alone or in alliance with other Sudanese forces, with a tendency towards linking with one of the two military components, which deepens the conflict and doubles its severity. In light of these developments, the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs adopted a community initiative on its part, which was proposed and shaped within its formal and substantive framework through extensive meetings between components of Sudanese society under the auspices of the Council to be agreed upon and activated on the ground. The initiative aims to settle the Sudanese crisis in all its aspects through national consensus among the components of Sudanese society, taking into account the positives that have been achieved in previous initiatives and platforms. The initiative is founded on the principle of inclusiveness for all components of Sudanese society within the framework of a Sudanese/Sudanese dialogue through a comprehensive conference as a purely national mechanism. Within the framework of the conference, the Sudanese have the political process regarding the dialogue tracks, to include, firstly, a military security track that deals with a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire and hostilities and the associated arrangements for implementing them voluntarily or by force, and secondly, a humanitarian track aimed at addressing the humanitarian conditions at home and abroad and providing safe humanitarian corridors along with modernizing the service infrastructure, and thirdly, a political path that aims to agree on the formation of transitional authority structures for a period of time within two years, including the formation of an independent transitional government of civil competencies, which will manage the country’s affairs, pave the way for holding transparent and fair elections, and establishing a permanent constitution for the country. Fourthly, a path for reconstruction, rebuilding, modernization and development that includes infrastructure, national institutions, and economic reform within a development framework. The initiative is also based on the participation of countries and regional and international organizations concerned with Sudanese affairs, as an international regional mechanism that serves as an international regional contact group, whose mission revolves around supervising, following up, and ensuring the implementation of the outcomes, in addition to assuming the role of facilitation when necessary. It is certain that the initiative comes within the framework of a number of governing principles, the most prominent of which are preserving Sudan’s unity, independence, and territorial integrity, non-interference in its internal affairs, commitment to the choices of the Sudanese people and the principles of its glorious revolution, and preserving the national state institutions. This must be taken into account that the tracks are revitalized within the framework of one deal, that is, at one time and not in stages, in order to avoid prolonging the military conflict, to put an end to the suffering of the Sudanese people from the tragedies and disasters that befall them, and to shorten the period for starting rebuilding and reconstruction in the way that is possible with it. The return of displaced persons and refugees, the restoration of security and stability, and the spread of peace at an early date.