Aljazeera.net correspondents
Port Sudan- In the absence of the Sudanese government, international and regional parties have engaged in consultations to stop the war and deliver humanitarian aid to Sudan. Observers considered the move a prelude to exerting pressure that could develop into humanitarian intervention in the country through the United Nations or by Washington alone.
Yesterday, Wednesday, consultations were opened in Geneva to stop the war in Sudan, with the participation of the United States, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Egypt, the United Nations, and the African Union, where it was planned to start negotiations between the army and the Rapid Support Forces.
The consultations are scheduled to continue for days with the aim of designing a humanitarian operation and arrangements for a ceasefire in Sudan, with the participation of experts and technicians.
Outputs
In a joint statement, these parties pledged to “work hard in Switzerland through intensive diplomatic efforts to support Sudan, the delivery of humanitarian aid, and the cessation of hostilities, in accordance with the outcomes of the previous Jeddah Forum and other efforts and international humanitarian law.”
The Sudanese army delegation was absent from the talks after announcing its commitment to implementing the “Jeddah Declaration” signed in May 2023 under the auspices of Washington and Riyadh as a way to end the war.
Meanwhile, the Rapid Support Forces explained that its negotiating delegation arrived in Switzerland last Tuesday, in response to an invitation from the United States, with the aim of “reaching a cessation of hostilities, facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid, and developing a monitoring and verification mechanism to ensure the implementation of any agreement.”
For his part, US Special Envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello said that the consultations in Geneva focus on the parties’ compliance with and implementation of the Jeddah commitments, respect for international humanitarian law, enabling aid, and silencing the guns. They also focus on saving lives, alleviating the suffering of the Sudanese, moving forward to achieve a cessation of hostilities, enhancing aid access, and establishing enforcement mechanisms that achieve tangible results.
He stressed that the crisis in Sudan has reached “unprecedented levels of severity, with millions facing severe hunger and displacement, while the ongoing conflict has led to widespread atrocities, including attacks on women and children.”
Introduction to intervention
Reports have spoken of Washington's move to exert new pressure on the army by calling on the United Nations to grant humanitarian agencies a mandate to deliver aid across borders and conflict sites under international protection, and to activate the Security Council resolution banning military flights over Darfur.
However, Shams El Din Kabbashi, a member of the Sovereignty Council and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Army, confirmed the army’s ability to end “the Rapid Support Militia rebellion and cleanse the country of its filth and criminality.”
He stressed, in a statement yesterday, Wednesday, that the armed forces will not pay attention to the pressures being exerted on them, and will not sit down for negotiations with the Rapid Support Forces except after committing to implementing the Jeddah Declaration as the basis for any negotiations. He renewed their commitment to positively deal with initiatives that lead to “achieving the aspirations of the Sudanese people, preserving their rights, and respecting the country's sovereignty, security, and unity.”
For his part, political researcher Faisal Abdul Karim believes that the Geneva consultations are an attempt by the US administration to impose pressure on the army to bring it to the negotiating table with the Rapid Support Forces to achieve a “political achievement” that will be credited to it, and to send a message to the Sudanese leadership to back down from the rapprochement with Russia.
According to his statement to Al Jazeera Net, these consultations will be a prelude to humanitarian intervention in Sudan through issuing a resolution from the Security Council – similar to what happened in Syria – or from Washington alone in the event that Russia or China oppose this approach.
Failure declaration
Researcher Abdul Karim expected that the international move would be accompanied by an escalation in military operations by the Rapid Support Forces “to take advantage of the army's boycott of the negotiations and portray it as rejecting peace, and to achieve political and military gains to put the head of the Sovereignty Council and army commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan under pressure.”
As for the editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Al-Youm Al-Tali”, writer Taher Sati, he considers that holding the Geneva consultations – in the absence of the army – is a declaration of their failure, which makes those parties “dialogue with themselves and will not contribute to resolving the Sudanese crisis.”
He told Al Jazeera Net that any move to pass humanitarian aid without consulting and agreeing with the Sudanese government would be a violation of national sovereignty and a breach of international law. In his opinion, the failure of the sponsoring parties to implement the Jeddah Declaration to protect civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law, and to jump into new negotiations, reflects “the lack of seriousness of those parties in resolving the Sudanese crisis.”