Sudan Events – Agencies
The second consultative meeting on enhancing coordination of peace initiatives and efforts in Sudan, which was held for one day, ended in Djibouti on Wednesday, with a declaration welcoming the American initiative to sponsor negotiations between the two warring parties.
Participants also warned of the repercussions of the complex humanitarian and security conditions in Sudan.
The meeting, which was called for by the Arab League, was attended by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the European Union, the United Nations, the African Union, in addition to Saudi Arabia and the United States.
The participants discussed the efforts made and mediation initiatives to restore peace and stability in Sudan.
Djibouti’s acting Foreign Minister, Nabil Mohamed Ahmed, said that Sudan “is witnessing the worst humanitarian disasters in the world,” affirming the need to end the war in the country.
In his speech during the opening of the meeting, he called on the regional and international communities to exert efforts and unite to stop the devastating war in Sudan.
The Minister affirmed the importance of continuing the efforts that began at Jeddah platform to end the war by keeping pace with other initiatives to reach a solution that ends the crisis.
He affirmed the commitment of his country, which chairs the current session of the IGAD organization, to work closely with all proposed initiatives that would end the fighting in Sudan and address the difficult humanitarian situation.
The final statement expressed deep concern about the ongoing violations and abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law, including cases of sexual violence and reports of enforced disappearances and arbitrary detention of civilians.
It called for investigations and accountability for the perpetrators of these violations and abuses.
The participants welcomed, according to the statement, “the initiative of the United States, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Switzerland to hold ceasefire talks in Geneva, based on the foundation laid by Jeddah process,” and urged all concerned to effectively invite the warring parties to participate in the ceasefire talks in order to end the fighting and provide immediate access to humanitarian aid for all the Sudanese people.
The meeting adopted decisions on a more coherent approach to enhance coordination on the response to the crisis in Sudan, unify efforts and ensure complementarity of peace initiatives in Sudan to ensure mutually reinforcing outcomes.
The statement stated that the crisis in Sudan is rapidly deteriorating, complex and deep-rooted, including military, economic, governance, humanitarian and political elements, which requires support from the wider international community.
It affirmed the importance of a coordinated multilateral approach in seeking to enhance peace efforts through a concerted effort towards ceasefire negotiations, political dialogue and protection of civilians, and addressing the deteriorating humanitarian situation.
The statement stressed the commitment of the participating parties to intensify coordination and cooperation between multilateral institutions and the present members sponsoring key initiatives aimed at achieving a comprehensive ceasefire, promoting an inclusive Sudanese political dialogue, and restoring peace and stability in Sudan.
It described the recently concluded indirect talks in Geneva for the warring Sudanese parties as an encouraging first step to explore ways to contribute to alleviating the suffering of the civilian population in Sudan.
The final Statement revealed a follow-up conference to be held in September in New York, to follow up on humanitarian pledges, the political process and a civil society forum subsequent to the International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan and Neighbouring Countries held by France, Germany and the European Union on April 15, 2024 in Paris.
