SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: AP - UN divided on timing to end UN-AU peacekeeping in Darfur

9/12/2020: AP - UN divided on timing to end UN-AU peacekeeping in Darfur, by Edith M. Lederer

 AP report that UN Security Council members affirmed their commitment to end the hybrid UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), but were divided on the timing. Sudan, Russia, Niger, South Africa and Tunisia support the 31 December termination. 

However, Germany’s UN ambassador, Christoph Heusgen, cited the floods, poor harvest, COVID-19, reports of internal fights over control of gold mines, attacks against government forces, and low representation of women in transitional bodies to emphasise the risks of UNAMID’s withdrawal.

Jose Singer, the Dominican Republic’s UN ambassador, said he was reminded of what happened in neighbouring Haiti after “the premature withdrawal” of UN peacekeepers, a reference to the ongoing insecurity in the country. Estonia’s UN ambassador, Sven Jurgenson, said “rushing the withdrawal risks losing the significant gains made by UNAMID over the years”.

UK’s UN ambassador Barbara Woodward called for the transition from UNAMID to UNITAMS, a political mission, to be “responsible, sequenced and sustainable.”

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: AP - UN-African Union envoy says mistrust deep in Sudan’s Darfur

9/12/2020: AP - UN-African Union envoy says mistrust deep in Sudan’s Darfur, by Samy Magdy

AP report that Jeremiah Mamabolo, the joint UN-African Union envoy for Darfur cautioned that mistrust still runs deep and urged the transitional government in Khartoum to embark on the “huge task” of gaining the trust of the locals.

Mamabolo said Darfuris “have been betrayed ... A lot of crimes and injustice have been committed against them, so they feel insecure.” While the major fighting in Darfur has stopped, sporadic intercommunal clashes in the region have increased in 2020, Mamabolo added.

Sudanese activist Nazek Awad said there are no provisions for an independent party to monitor the situation on the ground after the exit of U.N.-AU troops. “The insecurity for displaced people will continue and increase,” she said.

Mohammed Osman, a Sudan researcher at Human Rights Watch, said HRW has documented an increase in intercommunal violence, exacerbated by the involvement of government forces, which led to the killing of dozens.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Sudan Tribune - Burhan reverses his decision on mandate of Sudan’s transition partners body

9/12/2020: Sudan Tribune - Burhan reverses his decision on mandate of Sudan’s transition partners body

 Sudan Tribune report that Abdelfattah al-Burhan, the head of Sudan’s ruling Sovreign Council, has reversed his position to form a Transitional Partnership Council (TPC) with large powers, putting an end to the disagreement with Prime Minister Hamdok and the pro-democracy coalition of political forces.

 The TPC’s formation raised suspicions about attempts by al-Burhan and his military faction to circumvent the civilian government and its divided coalition with the support of some former rebels.

 The TPC was divisive among Sudan’s Revolutionary Front (SRF) factions, with SRF leader Hadi idris in favour of a review of the TPC, while Sudan Liberation Movement factional leader Minni Minnawi and his ally Eltom Hajo defending the decree and calling for its implementation.

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Foreign Policy - Sudan’s New Government Can’t Succeed If It Remains on the U.S. Blacklist

9/12/2019: Foreign Policy - Sudan’s New Government Can’t Succeed If It Remains on the U.S. Blacklist, by Hala al-Karib and El Sadig Hassan

Hala Al-Karib, regional director for the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa, and El Sadig Hassan, the secretary-general of the Darfur Bar Association, argue that it is in the US’ best interests to delist Sudan as a state sponsor of terrorism immediately.

Al-Karib and Hassan argue that the terror designation represents “an unjust economic and political burden” on the civilian government that is trying to untangle the business and military networks that maintain al-Bashir’s regime.

Therefore, the authors call for the international community to instead focus its efforts on helping to dismantle Sudan’s terrorist banking and operational networks, warning that Sudan’s democratic gains may be lost to a [terrorist] label “that no longer describes the country.”

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Multiple sources – Sudan reduces its forces in Yemen to 5,000

9/12/2019: Multiple sources – Sudan reduces its forces in Yemen to 5,000

• Sudan Tribune

• Reuters, by Khalid Abdelaziz

Sudan’s prime minister Abdallah Hamdok said Sudan has reduced the number of troops it has in Yemen from a peak of 15,000 to 5,000, confirming a drawdown in a conflict which he said could not be solved militarily.

Hamdok said there had been no discussions during his visit to Washington about withdrawing Sudanese forces from Yemen.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Sudan Tribune - SPLM-N al-Hilu says ready for peace negotiations

9/12/2019: Sudan Tribune - SPLM-N al-Hilu says ready for peace negotiations

Sudan Tribune reports that the SPLM-North led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu said it is ready to engage in peace talks with the Sudanese government in Juba.

The SPLM-N al-Hilu faction previously declined to negotiate with the government due to the latter’s refusal to include the right for self-determination in the peace talks.

The SPLM-N al-Hilu had also asked the transitional government to declare support for a secular Sudan, but the government’s negotiating delegation said the matter would be determined in the constitutional conference that will take place during the transitional period.