As the conflict in Sudan enters its third week with a shaky cease-fire, the current and former Sudanese ambassadors to Washington told VOA they hope the cease-fire will eventually lead to meaningful long-term talks for peace.
Ambassador Mohammed Abdullah Idris said peace can only be realized if all parties respect the terms of the truce.
“A cease-fire, truce, is a two-way traffic, so we hope that the other party will respect the truce and will respect the cease-fire, especially those elements of RSF [Rapid Support Forces] those [that] are deployed in residential areas, on roads, streets, intersections,” he told VOA during a one-on-one interview at the Sudanese Embassy in Washington.
Abdullah Idris said people in neighborhoods where the fighting has occurred need the opportunity to move to safety.
“As far as the government is concerned, I would like to assure you that we are committed to respecting the cease-fire so that the civilians could have the necessary and needed protection, and also to respect international humanitarian law,” he said. “Let us hope that it will hold and give the results, the expected results, on the ground and for the civilians and for the people of Sudan. The people of Sudan, they deserve tranquility, and they need it.”
He expressed hope in the mediation efforts initiated by the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development. The heads of South Sudan, Djibouti and Kenya are spearheading the negotiations for a lasting peace.
Human rights advocates criticized both warring parties for violations of human rights.
“From the start of the fighting, both sides to the conflict in Sudan have shown deadly disregard for the civilian population,” Mohamed Osman, a Sudan researcher at the New York-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.
Mediation efforts
The United Nations and many western countries have also called for an end to the fighting.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington is in direct talks with General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the de facto leader of Sudan, and General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, also known as Hemedti, head of the RSF.
“We’ve also continued to engage directly with General al-Burhan to press them to extend and expand the Eid cease-fire to a sustainable cessation of hostilities that prevents further violence and upholds humanitarian obligations.” Blinken said. “The Sudanese people are not giving up on their aspirations for a secure, free and democratic future. Neither will we.”
Former Sudanese ambassador Nureldin Satti told VOA he hopes the temporary truce will lead to permanent peace and pave the way for a democratically elected government. But he blames the Sudanese Armed Forces for failing to address the expansion of the paramilitary RSF sooner. The RSF was created in 2013 and has steadily grown in power since that time.
“It was their own making,” Satti said. “They are the ones that created the RSF… they were their partners. And they allowed them to come to Khartoum. They allowed them to amass a fortune. They allowed them to make themselves even more powerful than the army. They allowed them to even occupy army locations around Khartoum.”
Abdullah Idris agreed that the conflict could have been avoided but said going forward, the government will work toward a peaceful transition.
“The government is committed to resume the political process if this kind of crisis is solved. And the political process should also lead to a civilian-led government that could lead a transitional period, expected to also end up with … free and fair elections.” he said.
This story originated in VOA’s English to Africa Service.
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