Politics

Envoys empty handed after Sudanese army skips peace talks

US-arranged talks in Geneva were attended by only one of the warring parties. The other sent no delegates because their list of concerns had not been addressed. Meanwhile, the war crimes continue

Reuters

US envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello at a press conference following the unconstructive Sudan peace talks in Geneva.

Envoys empty handed after Sudanese army skips peace talks

Amjed Farid

last update on 27 Aug 2024

The latest initiative to negotiate a ceasefire in Sudan has collapsed after one of the two warring parties failed to attend the talks in Switzerland.

Sudan has been torn apart by a civil war stemming from a power struggle between two generals: the head of the army, and the head of a 200,000-strong militia that had been drafted into the armed forces several years earlier.

Last month, the US State Department called for a new round of negotiations between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia.

The talks were scheduled to begin on 14 August and continue for ten days, hosted by the Swiss government, with Saudi Arabia acting as co-host. Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and the African Union were participating as observers.

The US initially said that the talks would be attended by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

However, this was later downgraded to include only the US Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa Mike Hammer and US Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello.

Grievances ongoing

The Sudanese government voiced several objections, including a gripe that the invitation had been sent to the Sudanese Armed Forces, not to the government itself.

AFP / Sudanese Army — Sudan's army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan gives a press conference in Port Sudan on August 24, 2024. He declined to attend the talks in Geneva, vowing instead to 'fight for 100 years'.

It also objected to the inclusion of countries—notably the UAE—that it says supports the RSF with weapons and money, and expressed concerns regarding previous agreements, particularly the Jeddah Declaration, signed on 11 May 2023.

The government then demanded a mechanism to ensure the RSF’s adherence to its prior commitments, before engaging in new negotiations.

The Sudanese government objected to the inclusion of countries that it says supports the RSF with weapons and money

These objections led to a preparatory meeting between the Sudanese government and US envoy Tom Perriello, which took place in Jeddah on 9 August.

This then collapsed without agreement on the government's participation in the Geneva negotiations, scheduled for 11 August, after the mediators failed to address the Sudanese government's reservations.

The government delegation in Jeddah was led by Sudanese Minister of Minerals Mohamed Bashir Abu Numo, who is affiliated with the Sudan Liberation Movement, under the leadership of Minni Minawi, head of an armed rebel group in Darfur.

This was met with consternation and frustration by the Americans, who had said that the talks must be with the armed forces, given that it is the armed forces that is one of the two warring parties.

Ploughing on anyway

The Swiss negotiations went ahead, with the participation of the US, Saudi, Emirati, Egyptian, and African Union representatives, plus the RSF delegation.

Some Sudanese civilians, selected by the US State Department, were present. They included the leaders of Taqaddum, a pro-civilian power coalition, and a delegation representing Sudanese women. Their participation was not announced in advance, nor were the criteria for their selection.

AFP — Fighters in a military convoy accompanying the governor of Sudan's Darfur State during a stopover en route to Port Sudan on August 30, 2023.

The US continued to pressure General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the armed forces, to attend. Blinken is reported to have called him twice to urge his inclusion. But the Sudanese government's concerns, as expressed in Jeddah, remained unresolved.

Another meeting between a Sudanese delegation and the US envoy was arranged, to take place in Cairo, coinciding with Blinken's visit to Egypt on 20-21 August. Perriello then left Geneva for Cairo, only for an announcement that the meeting was cancelled.

The US said this was due to a protocol breach by the Sudanese delegation, without elaborating. The Sudanese Transitional Sovereignty Council then issued its own statement blaming the US.

The Council said the Cairo meeting was to discuss its vision for implementing the Jeddah Declaration and to continue the talks held in Jeddah, adding that it was unrelated to Geneva.

Arguing over inclusion

With no progress and all sides blaming each other, the difficulties in holding any Sudanese peace process under the current structure appear manifold.

The US, playing the role of mediator, says the negotiating delegation should comprise representatives from the Sudanese military, not the Sudanese government. The Sudanese government says this undermines the country's sovereignty.

It also says the stipulation excludes those who signed the Juba Peace Agreement and are integral to the government.

The US continued to press Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan to attend, with Blinken reportedly calling him twice to urge his inclusion

Several armed groups are key players in the war, particularly the Darfuri movements now fiercely defending El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State, against the RSF, whose forces have surrounded the city.

El Fasher is the last city in all of Darfur that is not yet under full RSF control, but analysts think it is only a matter of time, warning that there could be one of recent history's most horrific massacres if the talks do not make progress.

For some, it is contradictory for the US to expand the negotiation platform to include foreign countries, some of whom are accused of fuelling the war, while at the same time excluding Sudanese parties directly involved in the conflict.

RSF-Taqaddum links

The Taqaddum coalition is led by former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and is a civilian coalition, which should be relevant, but Washington's insistence on the talks being between the army and the RSF makes the coalition irrelevant.

Heads of delegations participating in Geneva talks aimed at ending the war in Sudan in August 2024. The armed forces were not represented.

Taqaddum could be included as part of the negotiating delegation for the militia, given that forces loyal to Hadi Idris (Hamdok's deputy) and those loyal to Al-Taher Hajar (another coalition member) are fighting alongside and within the RSF.

There is a public agreement between Taqaddum and the RSF that includes political terms and a shared vision for ending the war, signed by Hamdok and RSF leader Hemedti on 2 January 2024, in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

In August, a meeting attended by Abdul Rahim Dagalo (RSF deputy commander), his brother, Algoni, and members of the Taqaddum coalition (including Taha Osman Ishaq and Mohamed Hassan Al-Taishi) was held to review the RSF's negotiating position.

There is a Sudanese proverb that translates roughly as: "He who dances does not cover his chin." It means that confronting reality is the shortest path. Confronting the reality of this war is the shortest path to ending it. The saying often springs to mind.

Ignoring war crimes

The ten days that the RSF delegation spent alongside mediators in Switzerland revealed, another problem became clear: the ongoing war crimes RSF fighters are committing in Sudan.

AFP — Sudanese displaced people from Singa await food at their camp east of Gedaref city on 22 August 2024.

Between the US call for talks on 23 July their conclusion on 20 August, the RSF killed around 650 Sudanese civilians in Khartoum, Omdurman, El Fasher, Gezira State, Sennar State, and North Kordofan State.

This included the RSF bombing Omdurman Maternity Hospital, Al-Naw Hospital, and the Al-Sadaqa Hospital in El Fasher. Some of these crimes were even committed while the RSF delegation was seated for talks in Switzerland.

Between the US call for talks and their conclusion, the RSF killed around 650 Sudanese civilians, bombing three hospitals and an aid depot

On 19 August, as they talked, the RSF bombed a humanitarian supply depot near the Zamzam camp for displaced persons in North Darfur, destroying food, medicine, and the only ambulance serving more than half a million people at the giant camp, which has been under constant attack from the RSF since last May.

Doctors Without Borders announced a deteriorating humanitarian situation there, with one child dying from hunger every two hours. The UN says the camp has hit the highest level of famine since 1 August.

Despite their attendance, events of the ground evidence the RSF's blatant disregard for peace and international humanitarian law. Those who follow its progress will not be surprised, while diplomats note its lack of commitment to promises made in Jeddah.

Talks are not working, so to stop the war and achieve peace in Sudan, the US and others must go back and review their strategy. No genuine or serious peace talks can succeed if the war crimes that weave the fabric of this suffering are ignored.

Atrocities cannot be overlooked to lure the perpetrators into meaningless negotiations disconnected from reality. If war criminals have a sense of impunity, they will continue their crimes, assuming that they can evade the consequences of their actions.

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