Rédaction Africa Links 24 with SudanTribune
Published on 2024-03-03 20:41:03
On March 3, 2024, in Port Sudan, Sudan’s de facto leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, made a significant announcement regarding the country’s conflict resolution. He stated that he would only accept the African Union’s proposed solutions if Sudan’s full membership in the continental bloc was reinstated. This decision came in light of the AU’s suspension of Sudan’s membership following the military takeover on October 25, 2021, which sparked a conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
In response to the crisis in Sudan, the AU had formed a high-level mediation group to help restore stability in the country. General al-Burhan recently met with the members of the AU High-Level Panel on the Resolution of the Conflict in Sudan, led by Mohamed Ibn Chambas. The panel included other distinguished members such as former Ugandan Vice President Speciosa Wandira and former Special Representative of the AU Commission in Somalia, Francisco Madeira.
During the meeting, al-Burhan expressed Sudan’s confidence in the AU’s potential solutions but stressed that full membership reinstatement was crucial. He clarified that the events of October 25 marked the dissolution of the partnership between the military and civilian components rather than a coup, as perceived by the international community.
The military takeover in October 2021, led by al-Burhan, resulted in the removal and detention of civilian government leaders, drawing condemnation from the UN and AU. The subsequent rebellion and human rights violations by the RSF were also discussed during the meeting. Al-Burhan emphasized the need for the RSF to withdraw from occupied areas, including towns and villages, as a critical step towards resolving the conflict.
The RSF, a paramilitary force, had expanded its control over various regions, including parts of Darfur, Gezira state, Greater Kordofan, and the capital, Khartoum, accompanied by reports of human rights abuses. In response, Chambas reaffirmed the AU’s commitment to ending the conflict and achieving stability in Sudan, highlighting the delegation’s engagement with all relevant stakeholders and political forces.
The three-member mechanism established by the AU Commission in January 2024 aimed to facilitate dialogue, restore constitutional order, and work collaboratively with Sudanese stakeholders and the international community to achieve lasting peace. General al-Burhan’s insistence on Sudan’s full membership reinstatement in the AU as a condition for accepting proposed solutions underscored the importance of international cooperation in resolving the crisis in Sudan.
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