Negotiated solution only way to end Sudan conflict: UN official
August 12, 2023 (NEW YORK) – A senior United Nations official has warned against prolong ethnic conflict in Sudan, saying mediation efforts aimed at the resolving the country’s conflict are critical.
“There needs to be a negotiated solution to end this war as soon as possible. There is no other alternative,” Martha Pobee, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa told the Security Council last week.
She added, “The longer this war continues, the greater the risk of fragmentation, and foreign interference and erosion of sovereignty, and the loss of Sudan’s future, particularly its youth”.
More than 100 days have passed since fighting erupted between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with Khartoum State remaining the epicentre of the conflict.
Pobee also raised concerns over the continued clashes between the rival forces in Khartoum and in other parts of the country, including Bahri, Omdurman and Darfur, “with neither side achieving victory nor making any significant gains,”
“The parties have exacted tremendous suffering on the people of the Darfur region. The fighting in Darfur continues to reopen the old wounds of ethnic tension of past conflicts in the region,” said the UN official.
“This is deeply worrying and could quickly engulf the country in a prolonged ethnic conflict with regional spill overs,” she added.
The conflict is having immense repercussions on Sudan and the region. Four million people have fled their homes, with nearly one million flocking to neighbouring countries such as Chad, South Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia.
Pobee said sexual violence continues to be perpetrated on a large scale, and children have been killed or victimized, or are at risk of being recruited into the hostilities.
“The systematic abductions and killings of human rights defenders in Darfur and Khartoum are on the rise,” stressed Pobee.
“The parties to the conflict must take concrete actions to end and investigate these violations, and support must be provided to strengthen human rights defenders’ networks and better protect human rights defenders”, she added.
Pobee said the UN through its mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) remains committed to supporting efforts by the African Union and the regional bloc (IGAD) to end the war.
She also welcomed efforts by the United States and Saudi Arabia, which have been facilitating talks between the sides, and also by Sudan’s neighbours.
“The common thread among these initiatives is the call for a permanent cessation of hostilities, facilitation of humanitarian access, and engagement with civilian stakeholders in an inclusive political process,” noted the UN official.
More than 20 million people are reportedly facing high levels of acute food insecurity.
(ST)