Agreement between warring parties in Sudan to establish humanitarian corridors and a 10-day ceasefire
The parties to the conflict in Sudan pledged to prioritise talks "to achieve a short-term ceasefire to facilitate the delivery of emergency humanitarian assistance and the restoration of essential services" in a document entitled "Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect Sudanese Civilians", which was published by Saudi state media.
#Statement | The kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America are pleased to announce that on May 11, 2023 in Jeddah, representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces signed a declaration commitment to protect the civilians of Sudan. pic.twitter.com/d1boeMH0j7
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) May 12, 2023
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the SAF, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the RSF paramilitary forces, are the representatives of the warring sides who have been meeting in Jeddah since last Saturday for "pre-negotiation talks", facilitated by Saudi Arabia along with the United States and the UN as the international body present.
"We agree that the interests and welfare of the Sudanese people come first and reaffirm our dedication to ensuring their protection at all times. This includes allowing the safe exit of civilians from areas of ongoing hostilities to a location of their choice," the statement said. The two sides also agreed that it was their duty to "always distinguish between civilians and combatants, and between civilian objects and military objectives".
According to a statement jointly issued by Riyadh and Washington, "the statement will guide the conduct of the two forces to enable the safe delivery of humanitarian assistance, the restoration of essential services, the withdrawal of forces from hospitals and clinics, and the respectful burial of the dead".
"Following the signing, the Jeddah negotiations will focus on reaching consensus on an effective ceasefire for up to ten days to facilitate these activities. A mechanism to monitor the ceasefire will be supported by the United States as part of the security measures," the notice stressed. The talks that have taken place and the commitment to protect civilians, according to Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, are only the first step.
"Further steps will be taken after the talks and the declaration of commitment to the protection of civilians. Compliance with the agreement is of paramount importance, and the Kingdom will continue to strive until Sudan and the people experience security and stability once again," according to bin Farhan. The UN reports that the fighting has killed more than 600 civilians, injured more than 5,000, internally displaced 700,000 Sudanese and caused more than 177,000 to emigrate.
جمعت مدينة جدة ممثلو القوات المسلحة السودانية، وقوات الدعم السريع في مبادرة لحل الازمة.
المحادثات التي تمت و إعلان الالتزام بحماية المدنيين يأتي كخطوة أولى، وستتبعها خطوات أخرى، والأهم هو الالتزام بما تم الاتفاق عليه، والمملكة ستعمل حتى يعود الأمن والاستقرار للسودان وشعبه الشقيق.
— فيصل بن فرحان (@FaisalbinFarhan) May 12, 2023
In response to the violence, a large number of UN organisations and NGOs declared a temporary halt to their work in Khartoum and Darfur. Although they have partially resumed their work, they remain on guard against threats. Food had reportedly been stolen in Khartoum, Sudan's capital, to the tune of millions of dollars, according to the UN World Food Programme. The agreement broadly commits both sides to allow much-needed humanitarian aid following looting and targeted attacks on aid supplies in the impoverished country, which is Africa's third largest in terms of territory and tenth in population.
The statement calls for the restoration of electricity, water and other basic services, as well as the "respectful burial" of the dead and the withdrawal of security personnel from hospitals. On condition of anonymity, a US official involved in the negotiations told Arab News, a proposal on the table would establish a new 10-day ceasefire, which would then trigger talks on a permanent end to the fighting. In other words, we would be looking at a confirmation of responsibilities under international humanitarian law, especially with regard to the treatment of civilians and the requirement to provide a working environment for humanitarian workers, the official said.
"We are hesitantly hopeful that their willingness to sign this document will create momentum for them to create the space" to bring in aid supplies, he said. According to officials, the two sides also reached agreement for the first time on how to monitor any ceasefire. A second US official acknowledged that both sides might be monitoring the ceasefire for other purposes and described the negotiations as "very difficult".
However, he added that, should a ceasefire be reached, the time spent on negotiations for the first step would at least increase the "effectiveness" of the ceasefire. Diplomats and experts have questioned whether the two sides want peace or are more focused on defeating each other. On both sides, there is, in all honesty, some optimism that the other side will be identified as the offender, he concluded.
After the temporary ceasefire expired last week, the US negotiated it and promised to impose sanctions on the warring parties. Some US lawmakers have expressed concern that the focus on the two generals has essentially marginalised pro-democracy forces.
#Sudan has been plunged into catastrophe. @volker_turk condemns violence by SAF+RSF & calls for accountability.
— UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) May 11, 2023
+487 civilians killed, 154K forced to flee & 1/2 population at risk of food insecurity [#s likely higher]
He urges those w/ influence to do utmost to advance peace👇… pic.twitter.com/1m1FY16DSE
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said: "We cannot allow the civilian leaders of the organisations that led the courageous uprising that toppled Omar al-Bashir to be marginalised". However, it was a close call. 18 members of the Human Rights Council voted in favour of the resolution, 15 members opposed and 14 members did not vote, with Western nations leading the way.
During the fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, smoke is seen rising over the city, reports EFE news agency. The note stresses that this expected ceasefire will consider "security measures including a ceasefire monitoring mechanism supported by the United States, Saudi Arabia and the international community" to "facilitate humanitarian activities".
