Sudan’s warring parties make individual commitments to facilitate humanitarian aid
November 8, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – The negotiating delegations of the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces made individual commitments to the facilitators to demonstrate their adherence to the Statement of Commitments and resolve to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to war-affected civilians as recently agreed in Jeddah.
On November 7, the Sudanese government and the RSF signed the Statement of Commitments regarding the facilitation of humanitarian access and confidence-building measures. However, they remained at odds over a ceasefire.
In official letters to the Saudi, American, and African facilitators, as well as UN humanitarian partners, seen by Sudan Tribune on Thursday, the parties to the conflict made individual commitments in addition to the signed Statement.
The head of the army negotiating team, Major General Mahjoub Bushra, said: “The armed forces have agreed to form a joint humanitarian forum to remove obstacles hindering the flow of relief.”
He pledged to complete customs clearance procedures for humanitarian aid within a maximum of seven working days, in addition to processing pending entry visas and granting the country director of any organization a work and residence permit for one year instead of six months for employees.
Humanitarian organizations have complained about the obstacles imposed by Sudanese authorities on their staff, which restricts access to those in need. Doctors Without Borders recently complained about the authorities’ delay in granting their staff entry visas to the country.
Bushra revealed that he had directed the authorities at the Port Sudan terminal to facilitate the procedures for 90 trucks loaded with relief and to ensure the safety and security of convoys, including personnel, trucks, and goods.
On Tuesday, the mediation team consisting of the United States, Saudi Arabia, the African Union, and IGAD announced that the army and RSF had reached an agreement to address obstacles to the delivery of relief through a joint humanitarian forum led by UN OCHA to address challenges facing the smooth delivery of humanitarian assistance.
In turn, the head of the RSF delegation, Brigadier General Omar Hamdan, said that they are committed to facilitating the unhindered passage of humanitarian relief, ensuring freedom of movement for aid workers, and protecting their assets, offices, and warehouses.
He pledged to refrain from interfering in humanitarian operations and to accompany side-by-side humanitarian operations. He also agreed to designate representatives for civil-military coordination (CMCOORD), overseen by OCHA. Additionally, he agreed to establish an RSF coordination unit led by Major General Mohamed Alawai Kulu, responsible for the safety and security of humanitarian operations.
The RSF official declared their agreement to participate in the UN-OCHA humanitarian forum and to create a secure passage for humanitarian transit from Port Sudan through Khartoum.
The Statement of Commitments is in line with their obligations under the May 11, 2023, Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan.
However, the failure of the conflicting parties to reach a ceasefire raises doubts about the potential implementation of the pledge, given the continuation of clashes.
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan stressed the need for reliable guarantees from the parties to the conflict to ensure that relief, humanitarian workers, and assets can move safely across conflict lines.
“We simply cannot reach Khartoum, Darfur, Kordofan, and other war-torn areas of the country without these assurances,” reads a statement issued after the signing of the Statement of Commitments on November 7.
The office called for the necessity of following up on the pledges of the army and RSF with immediate and concrete measures to remove obstacles that prevent the provision of life-saving relief.