This country deserves global attention,see why
THE armed conflict in Sudan, which began in April 2023, has killed over 15,000 and displaced over 12 million people without showing signs of abating. Hostilities persist in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, and other parts of the country, with 800 killed in Ardamata in Darfur alone. Over 68 villages have been burnt down in the Darfur region amid reports of ethnic cleansing.
Amidst the carnage, the focus of the global powers has shifted elsewhere, especially to the Israel-Hamas and Russia-Ukraine wars.
Yet, Sudan also deserves global attention.
In April, the United States Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, bewailed the widespread sexual violence being perpetrated against women and girls.
About two million Sudanese have fled to Chad, Ethiopia, and South Sudan, while over 25 million others require humanitarian assistance amid chronic food insecurity.
The health system has collapsed, with more than 70 per cent of hospitals closed.
A measles outbreak has killed over 1,000 children while Sudan battles more than 11,000 suspected cholera cases and 292 deaths as of May 27, 2024, per the International Rescue Committee.
The UN and the World Food Programme are worried that the situation may worsen if nothing is done quickly.
Though several peace initiatives have failed to de-escalate the crisis, it is time to return to the negotiation table and stop the carnage.
At the root of the conflict is a power struggle between Abdel al-Burhan, Sudan’s current military ruler and leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces, and Hamdan Dagalo, the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, a powerful paramilitary force used by the ousted Sudanese president, Omar al-Bashir, to perpetuate himself in power.
The two warring generals had joined forces to end al-Bashir’s 30-year dictatorship in Sudan via a coup in April 2019 but are now at war over who controls the state and its resources. All the peace efforts by the US, Saudi Arabia, Libya, and Turkey, among others, have failed to end the war.
In March, the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate cessation of violence in Sudan. However, the two belligerents refused to agree on a ceasefire, and the SAF shunned mediation by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development.
Good Governance Africa says, “The failure of peace initiatives stems from a combination of internal power struggles, lack of trust, fragmentation of armed groups, external influence, and the complexity of Sudan’s historical context.”
The Sudanese crisis threatens the security of the Horn of Africa countries. It will destabilise regional peace and disrupt trade. It is capable of creating the right atmosphere for terrorist groups to operate and thrive.
According to Global Conflict Tracker, the second Sudanese civil war, which lasted from 1983 to 2005, killed an estimated two million people.
The International Criminal Court and the US State Department described the Darfur war, which broke out in 2003, as genocide against non-Arab populations. The first two years of the conflict claimed over 200,000 lives, and over 100,000 more have died since 2005.
After many armed conflicts, the country’s southern territory seceded in 2011 and formed the Republic of South Sudan. According to UNICEF, over 10,400 schools are closed, and over 19 million children are without education. Most businesses in the capital have been looted.
The warring groups must cease fire and resume peace talks to save the economy and restore normalcy.
The AU, Horn of Africa countries and the other international players must accelerate active diplomacy and dialogue to end the crisis. The AU must advocate strong and pro-people leadership in Africa and galvanise all member states to prevent conflicts at all costs to avoid the Sudanese fate. Africa cannot solve the problem of poverty without eliminating armed conflicts.
Nigeria, which shares connections with Sudan through Chad, can do more to end the Sudanese crisis amid the dwindling interest of Western countries.
