[Salon] A desperate situation in Sudan - ArabDigest.org Guest Post

A desperate situation in Sudan Summary: Sudan’s civil war passed the one year mark this week with millions displaced and thousands killed by the fighting; peace talks are scheduled in three weeks but as the fighting continues the humanitarian crisis deepens. This week marked the one year anniversary of Sudan’s catastrophic civil war which has pitted two ruthlessly ambitious generals against each other with the Sudanese people caught between them. The cost has been staggeringly high with nearly 2 million fleeing Sudan, most to neighbouring Chad, another highly unstable country, while nearly 7 million are internally displaced. The death toll of civilians is in the thousands and the forces of both sides – General Burhan’s Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Hemedti’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – are guilty of committing war crimes. Hospitals, schools and other essential infrastructure have been destroyed. In a 14 April video message US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke of “eighteen million children, women, and men in Sudan (who) face acute food insecurity, with the UN warning that the country is on the brink of famine.” He added that “without a significant influx of aid, 220,000 children could die from malnutrition in the coming months” Efforts to secure at least a temporary ceasefire, led by Saudi Arabia and heavily backed by the US failed miserably last year. Now the Saudis have said they will reconvene the talks in Jeddah within three weeks. The talks were supposed to begin today and it is unclear why they have been delayed. However the UAE which backs Hemedti and Egypt which backs Burhan have said they will attend the talks. The presence of the UAE, which had shunned previous efforts in Jeddah is perhaps a sign that pressure from Washington is beginning to pay off. The State Department was not best pleased when in September last year a New York Times investigation revealed that the UAE under the guise of delivering humanitarian aid had established a field hospital in Chad for wounded RSF fighters. The investigation also alleged that the Wagner group had supplied surface to air missiles to the RSF via the Central African Republic where the Russian mercenary force has been engaged since 2018. A destroyed medical storage facility in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur province, Sudan, May 2, 2023. On Monday the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres spoke about the situation in Darfur where Hemedti’s force are menacing the last regional capital, in North Darfur State, not already in the hands of the RSF. His soldiers were already on the outskirts of the capital el-Fasher. “Let me be clear,” Guterres said “any attack on el-Fasher would be devastating for civilians and could lead to full-blown intercommunal conflict across Darfur.” When speaking about the looming humanitarian crisis Guterres was succinct about where the blame fell: "The main problem is clear: there are two generals that have opted for a military solution and they have until now, obstructed all serious efforts of mediation." Meanwhile an aid meeting chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron was convened in Paris on Monday. Unlike stuttering pledges for Yemen (see our 22 February newsletter) the world did seem ready to respond, with over €2 billion (US$2.1 billion) promised. The UK doubled its aid to Sudan and the surrounding region to £84.25 million (US$105 million) while Washington promised an additional US$100 million, a figure matched by the UAE. The European Commission has said it will commit about €355 million to Sudan and neighbouring states in 2024. This comes after US Special Envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello had earlier described the international response as “pitiful” noting that only 5% of the amount needed had been secured. However as the fighting continues getting aid to those in desperate need will be a significant challenge, one that can only be eased if a ceasefire is agreed. Waiting three weeks for the conversation to begin means that civilian casualties will continue to rise in Darfur, in the Sudanese capital Khartoum and elsewhere in the country with Hemedti - his powerful UAE ally still very much in play - hoping to secure more battlefield wins before the talks begin. General Burhan will be thinking the same; using drones supplied by Iran the SAF is making progress in retaking Khartoum potentially giving him the stronger hand to play with in Jeddah.