The UN plans to hold talks “before Christmas” with Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the transition to civilian rule, following meetings with parties close to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the anti-war coalition, a UN official said.
Pekka Haavisto, the UN special envoy for Sudan, told The National that diplomatic momentum is strong to end the devastating war despite other crises in the region, including the US-Iran conflict and the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.
The SAF's chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan has repeatedly rejected ceasefire proposals, vowing to continue fighting until his rivals are defeated. The RSF and its commander Gen Mohamed Dagalo - also known as Hemedti - meanwhile, have yet to make clear commitments to the peace proposals on the table.
However, recent reports by a UN fact-finding mission accusing both sides of committing crimes, coupled with mounting US pressure, suggest that diplomatic efforts may have a window of opportunity.
In an interview at the Manama Dialogue annual security forum in Bahrain, Mr Haavisto said “good meetings” had already taken place with parties close to the SAF and with an anti-war coalition led by former prime minister Abdalla Hamdok. He added that a Quintet meeting with the RSF and its allies could take place in Addis Ababa.
“In our last meeting in October in Addis Ababa, we got a feeling that we’re advancing. That was a good meeting with the anti-war coalition, already talking about the substance of the transition to a civilian government,” he explained. “We got a similar feeling when talking to the democratic bloc in SAF-controlled areas. We are still waiting for a meeting with Hemedti’s bloc to take place before Christmas.”
The UN has been working alongside the European Union, African Union, Arab League and Intergovernmental Authority on Development as part of the group known as the Quintet, which is pushing for peace in Sudan.
But on the ground, the situation is less promising. Drone attacks have been devastating against civilians, most recently escalating in Abyei, Kordofan and Darfur among others. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has condemned the attacks, which have also hit civilian infrastructure such as water plants, humanitarian lorries and hospitals.
'War against civlians'
Last week, UN-appointed investigators warned that the Sudanese city of Al Obeid is living in “constant fear” due to drone strikes from one side in the civil war and arrests and torture by the other.
Drone strikes by the RSF have killed and injured civilians. Meanwhile, thousands of people have been arrested by the SAF security cells, said Mona Rishmawi, one of the mission’s experts, adding that people were detained and tortured in Al Obeid Central Prison and other “unofficial locations”.
In September, evidence revealed that the SAF not only used chemical weapons in the devastating war but also built a secret stockpile that it later sought to conceal,
Mr Haavisto said he agrees with the categorisation that Sudan is not only a civil war, but a “war against civilians”.
“Diplomatically, the efforts are strong, and now even more strong than some years ago, so there’s strong engagement by many parties on the diplomatic front,” he said, lauding efforts by the Quintet but also by the Quad – made up of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the US and the UAE – which has been pushing for civilian rule in the war-torn country.
The war broke out in April 2023 amid a power struggle between the SAF and the RSF over civilian rule and the planned integration of the rival bodies. Repeated diplomatic initiatives have failed to secure a lasting ceasefire.
The conflict has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. More than 14 million people have been displaced and nearly 20 million face hunger, according to the UN World Food Programme.
The US, which is pushing for an arms embargo that covers all of Sudan, has said that there is “no future” for either of Sudan’s two warring generals in the country’s political leadership.
