Tagadum condemns failure to halt war, proposes vision for peace and democratic transition
May 30, 2024 (ADDIS ABABA) -The Coordinating Council of Civil Democratic Forces Tagadum vehemently condemned the Sudanese army, Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and their allies for violations, obstruction of aid, and failure to negotiate an end to the devastating war.
In a final statement read by Bothaina Dinar, deputy leader of the Revolutionary Democratic Current (RDC), the conference, concluding in Addis Ababa, denounced the use of food as a weapon in the conflict.
The conference stressed the urgent need for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, emphasizing the war’s catastrophic consequences: tens of thousands killed, mass displacement, and national collapse.
It called on the international community to pressure both sides to return to negotiations and establish mechanisms for civilian protection and humanitarian aid delivery. The statement also urged an international investigation into war crimes and accountability for perpetrators.
Addressing the war’s exacerbation of hate speech and racism, the conference condemned both sides for escalating harmful rhetoric and pledged to launch a comprehensive campaign to combat it.
The conference approved a political vision to “stop and end the war, establish the state, and complete the revolution.” This vision focuses on ending the war, restoring security and stability, repatriating displaced persons, uniting the Sudanese people and land, and establishing a civil democratic state that upholds equal citizenship and remains neutral regarding religion, identity, and culture.
Key elements of this vision include a professional military and security system with a national combat doctrine and a genuine federal governance system.
The conference announced preparations for a roundtable involving all Sudanese forces of revolution and change, anti-war forces, and supporters of democratic transformation, excluding the dissolved National Congress Party and its factions. It welcomed peace initiatives by the American-Saudi Jeddah process, the African Union, IGAD, Egypt, and neighbouring countries.
The conference endorsed principles for establishing a single, professional national army that refrains from political or economic interference, viewing this as crucial for stability and ending the cycle of military coups. It also outlined a vision for transitional justice to ensure accountability for war crimes and ethnic cleansing.
After discussing constitutional arrangements and local/regional governance, the conference formed an expert committee to further develop them. It also approved Tagadum’s bylaws and organizational structure, establishing representation and decision-making regulations with quotas for women and youth.
Hamdok was elected head of the new leadership body. The former prime minister had already been chairing the coalition’s founding committee, which includes more civil society groups than political parties.