Algeria ready to launch initiative to stop Sudan conflict: President

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
18 Apr 2023 20:33
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The Algerian President calls for joint and urgent action to avoid further escalation and put an end to the fighting in Sudan.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune speaks during the start of a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at El Mouradia Palace, the President's official residence, in Algiers, Algeria, March 30, 2022 (Reuters)

The Algerian Presidency said as part of a common and unified approach to stop the fighting in Sudan, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune sent messages to the United Nations Secretary-General, the current chairman of the African Union (AU), and the Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

In a statement, the Algerian Presidency said Tebboune's initiative comes in the context of the accelerated deterioration of the situation in Sudan, "which requires international action to stop the bloodshed and return to the peace process for the settlement of the deep Sudanese crisis."

According to the statement, Tebboune stressed in his messages that "the dangerous and regrettable developments in the Republic of Sudan, a brotherly country, with its internal complications and external repercussions, now pose a common challenge that requires the combined efforts of all regional and international actors."

#Sudan is plunged into complete chaos one day after clashes broke out between the #Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and a paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). pic.twitter.com/C4zxUOWKEJ
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) April 16, 2023

The Algerian President called for "joint and urgent action to avoid further escalation and put an end to the fighting between the Sudanese brothers, by urging them to prevail wisdom and give priority to dialogue in resolving their differences while sparing the Sudanese people the risks of engaging in the spiral of deadly violence that constitutes a danger to both social peace and the process of political settlement in Sudan.”

Tebboune hailed the individual steps taken by the UN, AU, and the IGAD, pointing out that "it is still possible to enhance them and to fructify the expected gains through collective efforts aimed at urging, with one voice, the brothers in Sudan to stop all confrontations immediately, and the need to make the supreme interest of the country prevail and to prevent bloodshed."

He also expressed "Algeria's readiness to intensify its efforts in cooperation and collaboration with regional and international partners to effectively contribute to the efforts and steps to stop the clashes between the Sudanese brothers and urge them to quickly return to the peace process for a final and lasting settlement of the Sudanese crisis."

In addition, the Algerian President called for thinking about a common and unified approach between the UN, AU, Arab League, and IGAD to help Sudan to overcome the current crisis.

"Pooling the efforts of international and regional actors, collectively and urgently, aims to work for a ceasefire, to calm the situation and establish a new era that meets the ambitions and aspirations of the Sudanese people brother to a dignified life in peace, harmony, and stability," the statement concluded.

Clashes between Sudanese army and Rapid Support Forces rage on

On Monday, Volker Perthes, the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan, confirmed that more than 1,800 people have been injured, highlighting that the death toll from the conflict in Sudan has surpassed 180.

Violence erupted on Saturday after weeks of power struggles between Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, who commands the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The fighting triggered a wide international outcry with appeals for an immediate ceasefire and dialogue. It broke out after bitter disagreements between Al-Burhan and Dagalo over the planned integration of the RSF into the regular army -- a key condition for a final deal aimed at ending a crisis since the 2021 military coup they orchestrated together.

The clashes forced the Sudanese to hide in their homes with fears of a prolonged conflict that could plunge the country into deeper chaos, smashing hopes for a return to civilian rule.

Since Saturday, the two sides have traded blame over who started the fighting. Each claimed the upper hand by declaring control of key sites, including the airport and the presidential palace.

The Saturday killing of three staff from the World Food Programme (WFP) in North Darfur clashes prompted the agency to suspend all operations in the country.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the killings and called for accountability, saying, "Those responsible should be brought to justice without delay."

"Humanitarian workers are #NotATarget," he tweeted.

Perthes expressed in a statement that he was appalled by reports of shelling and looting impacting the UN and other humanitarian facilities.

Medics have pleaded for safe corridors for ambulances and a ceasefire to treat the victims because the streets are too dangerous for transporting casualties to hospital.

The RSF was created under now-jailed former President Omar Al-Bashir in 2013, emerging from the Janjaweed militia that his government unleashed against non-Arab ethnic minorities in Darfur a decade earlier, drawing accusations of war crimes.

The latest violence sparked by the two generals has reflected the deep-seated divisions between the regular army and the RSF. Despite the wide calls for a ceasefire, Al-Burhan and Dagalo appeared in no mood for talks.

Al-Burhan, who rose through the ranks under the three-decade rule of Al-Bashir, has said the coup was "necessary" to include more factions in politics.

Dagalo later called the coup a "mistake" that failed to bring about change and reinvigorated remnants of Al-Bashir's regime ousted by the army in 2019 following mass protests. He also called Al-Burhan a "criminal" and a "liar".

Efforts by neighbors and regional bodies to end the violence intensified on Sunday.

Saudi state media also reported on Sunday that Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan bin Al-Saud had separate phone calls with Al-Burhan and Dagalo and called for an end to the fighting.

Egypt offered to mediate, and the regional African bloc Intergovernmental Authority on Development plans to send the presidents of Kenya, South Sudan, and Djibouti as soon as possible to reconcile Sudanese groups in conflict, Kenyan President William Ruto's office tweeted.

In an emergency meeting for the League of Arab States on the crisis on Sunday, Sudan said the Sudanese should be allowed to reach a settlement internally without foreign interference.