Darfur tribal leaders agree with Sudanese Sheikh Musa Hilal to lead initiative to stop war in Sudan

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: As soon as I saw this report it jumped out of my screen. Over the last year I've been on the lookout for news of Sheikh Musa Hilal because he has the skills and experience to stop war in Sudan.

In the Janjaweed, Hemeti a 3rd grade school dropout and camel herder humiliated Hilal by getting him and sons handcuffed and jailed. Hemeti is trembling in his flip-flops knowing Sheikh Hilal of North Darfur is back.

Reading between the lines of the report, Sheikh Hilal has not been on the side of Hemeti. Sheikh Hilal has attracted Darfur tribal leaders to lead a national initiative to stop war in Sudan. Now there is hope for Sudan.

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Report from Radio Dabanga Arabic website

Dated Wednesday, 14 Feb 2024, 17:20 - full copy, translated from Arabic:

Darfur tribal leaders agree with Musa Hilal to lead initiative to stop war in Sudan

Musa Hilal (Archive)

(Nyala) - A civil delegation of tribal leaders in Darfur states announced that it has agreed with the head of the Revolutionary Awakening Council, Sheikh Musa Hilal, to lead a national initiative to stop the war between the army and the Rapid Support.

The delegation, which included the principals of the tribes of Tarjum, Fallata and Rizeigat and notables of a number of tribes in the states of South, East, Central and West Darfur, visited Sheikh Musa Hilal in the suburb of Mistriha in North Darfur state, and the delegation spent about a week during which he held several meetings with notables of the region.

The head of the committee, Mohamed Yaqoub, told Radio Dabanga that the visit to Damra Sheikh Musa was for the purpose of searching for ways to bring peace to Sudan, and pointed out that it was agreed to form a mechanism headed by Musa Hilal to meet with all the parties to the war and tribal leaders in Sudan, and pointed out that what is happening now of alerts is a danger to the country and must be stopped.

For his part, a member of the delegation, the director of the Fallata tribe, Mohammed Al-Fateh Al-Sammani, told Dabanga Radio that the visit was for the purpose of coordination and reflection on the crisis in the country and the search for visions to get the country out of this predicament, and pointed out that a committee led by Sheikh Musa Hilal was formed to conduct internal reconciliations between the tribes of Darfur as well as communicate with the parties to the conflict to lead the project to stop the war in Sudan. Al-Samani stated that the native administration in the Darfur region united around the project to stop the war in Sudan, and appealed to the parties to the  War to support this mechanism under the leadership of Sheikh Musa Hilal in order to put an end to this war and reach internal peace.

Radio Dabanga contacted the spokesman for the Revolutionary Awakening Council to comment on the agreement on the leadership of the head of the council for the national initiative to stop the war between the army and the Rapid Support, but said that the council will discuss this matter at its meeting on Thursday and then make statements about it.

View original: https://www.dabangasudan.org/ar/all-news/article/زعماء-قبائل-بدارفور-يتفقون-مع-موسى-هلا

Related

Sudan Watch - October 06, 2023

Sudan: Chief of Arab Rizeigat Mahameed clan to mediate between warring tribes in South Darfur

“Sheikh Musa Hilal will lead the initiative as head of the council and native administration* leader, along with other native administration notables and community figures from Darfur and some other states of Sudan”. A Revolutionary Awakening Council spokesperson said that “the root causes of the clashes need to be defined and addressed, to stop them forever”.

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2023/10/sudan-chief-of-arab-rizeigat-mahameed.html

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Sudan Watch - August 11, 2023

Sudanese Warlord Sheikh Musa Hilal of North Darfur: Lynchpin of Arab Janjaweed Militia Recruitment

Sheikh Hilal is a respected Arab tribal leader and old time warrior who rules over large swathes of Sudan using benevolence. He commands a huge loyal following. If news of his return to the battlefield is true, and I hope it is, Hemeti (if he's alive) will have sleepless nights and tremble in his flip-flops at the thought of Hilal seeking revenge while fighting onside with SAF. 

If the news is true, in my view, it is a big game changer. Can't wait to find out more and what kind of deal SAF made with Warlord Hilal to induce him to side with SAF like he did when Sudan was led by President Bashir.

Musa Hilal is featured in the first blog post here at Sudan Watch. In the archives there were many great photos of him in full Arab regalia riding magnificent championship quality horses. Sadly, the photos were among 3,000+ Flickr deleted overnight, without warning, from this site's paid Flickr account. I helplessly watched in horror as each photo and thousands of hours of my work evaporated. Someone wanted them gone. 

Here is the first photo of Hilal published online. It is from the BBC captioned "The rebels started the war - Musa Hilal". The report dated 14 Nov 2004 entitled "Janjweed 'leader' denies genocide" is still online.

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2023/08/sudanese-warlord-sheikh-musa-hilal-of.html . . .

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Scroll down to see a copy of an article from and by Radio Dabanga.org

Dated 27 November 2017 - MISTERIYA / KHARTOUM

Musa Hilal, Revolutionary Awakening Council leadership arrested in Darfur

Musa Hilal, former janjaweed leader and chairman of the Revolutionary Awakening Council, as well as his sons, brothers, entourage, and senior members of the Council’s leadership, were arrested on Sunday and arrived today in Khartoum. … The official Sudan News Agency (SUNA) reports that the Commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (known as Hemeti), has affirmed that Hilal was arrested on Sunday at Misteriya area, North Darfur. Gen. Hemeti, says that Musa Hilal was “involved in a plot against Sudan which has external dimensions”.

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2023/08/sudanese-warlord-sheikh-musa-hilal-of.html

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END 

Sudan: A European-led tripartite meeting in Addis discusses arms embargo on Sudan & Article Seven, ignoring the position of both sides of the conflict

THIS report published in Arabic was kindly sent in to Sudan Watch by a Sudanese reader living and working in the UK over the past twenty years. Here is a copy in full, translated from Arabic by Google translate.

From sudanakhbar.com
By Radio Dabanga Arabic
Dated Friday, 9 February 2024

A European-led tripartite meeting in Addis Ababa discusses the arms embargo on Sudan, the imposition of Article Seven, and ignoring the position of both sides of the conflict - Sudan News

The Darfur Bar Association and the African Centre for Peace and Justice meet with a joint delegation with representatives of the European Union Mission Badis Ayaya

At the request of the Darfur Bar Association and the African Centre for Peace and Justice, a joint delegation met with representatives of the European Union Delegation in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, this morning, February 8, 2024, and the meeting was devoted to consultation on the situation in Sudan and with a focus on stopping the war and the humanitarian situation.

The Army and RSF are not qualified to discuss post-war issues

Mr. Saleh Mahmoud, Chairman of the Darfur Bar Association, described the humanitarian situation as aggravated and worrying, not only in Darfur, but in the whole of Sudan, given the number of people affected, which the most modest statistics indicate exceeds 10 million people.

In an interview with Radio Dabanga, Mr. Saleh Mahmoud pointed out that the meeting also touched on gross violations of human rights and international law and the continued commission of heinous crimes, including genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The meeting also touched on the future of the political process after the cessation of the war, as the Darfur Bar Association and the African Center for Peace and Justice confirmed that there is currently no government in Sudan representing all Sudanese to discuss the post-war situation, stressing that the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (Janjaweed Foundation) are not qualified to discuss the situation of Sudan and negotiate that indicates the return of the situation to what it was before the war.

Sudan arms embargo

On ways to stop the war, Mr. Saleh Mahmoud stressed that the discussion touched on the activation of all measures under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and various international treaties. He pointed to the importance of taking measures related to banning the import of weapons flowing into Sudan as a priority, not dealing with the parties to the war and not for the purpose of negotiations to return them to the position of power again, given that the task of determining how and who will govern Sudan is a task for the Sudanese people.

Mr. Saleh Mahmoud stated that they explained to the representatives of the European Union Mission the possibility of delivering humanitarian aid in a shorter way through Chadian territory for the people of the Darfur region in order to avoid the difficulties facing its flow through the port of Port Sudan as well as to the rest of the affected areas in Sudan. We asked them to think together about ways to deliver aid in the presence of the old state institution that is tainted by corruption that could hinder the delivery of this aid or sell it in the markets to those affected.

Exceeding the consent of the parties to the war

Mr. Saleh Mahmoud warned that the passage of aid in areas controlled by the army or the Rapid Support Forces threatens the possibility of reaching those who deserve it. Mr. Saleh Mahmoud stressed that they called for activating international humanitarian law, especially the articles that allow the delivery of humanitarian aid to those affected without obtaining the consent of the force controlling the ground, whether it is rapid support or armed forces, and the international community and regional institutions in delivering aid should not be subject to the will of the warring parties that do not represent the Sudanese people.

Calling for a greater role for the African Peace and Security Council

Regarding the speech addressed by the African Center for Justice and Peace to the African Peace and Security Council, Musaed Mohamed Ali, director of the center, confirmed in an interview with Radio Dabanga that the message is mainly aimed at stopping the war as a top priority. The letter called on the Peace and Security Council and the African Union to play its role and exert greater efforts to stop the war and stop hostilities in Sudan as soon as possible. In the short term, the letter called on the council to work towards a swift cessation of hostilities to allow the passage of humanitarian aid to those affected who have been displaced inside Souda.

View original: https://www.sudanakhbar.com/1483595

END

Sudan: Addis Ababa Declaration - Tagaddum seeks to build ‘broadest democratic civil front possible’

FURTHER below is a link to the full text of the Addis Ababa Declaration, featured in this report by Radio Dabanga, followed by three related reports.

From Radio Dabanga, ADDIS ABABA / KHARTOUM
Dated Wednesday, 10 January 2024; 20:48 - here is a copy in full:

Sudan’s Tagaddum seeks to build ‘broadest democratic civil front possible’

'No to war. The people are no shield' (File photo Supplied)

The Civil Democratic Forces alliance has invited hold-out rebel movements and political parties in Sudan for an urgent consultation meeting about the building of a broad democratic civil front against the ongoing war between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support forces (RSF). The resistance committees have not received an invitation.

On Saturday, the Civil Democratic Forces alliance, better known as Tagaddum (meaning progress in Arabic), consisting of the Sudanese Congress Party, the National Umma Party, the SPLM-Democratic Revolutionary Movement, and other members of the Forces for Freedom and Change-Central Council (FFC-CC*), sent invitations to Sudanese hold-out parties and groups calling on them to join “urgent and direct meetings to build the broadest democratic civil front possible and to discuss ways to end the current war”.

In a statement received by Radio Dabanga yesterday, Tagaddum pledged that its members “will spare no effort to end the war in the country” and underscored the importance of communicating with all “revolutionary and patriotic forces seeking to stop the war and bring about a democratic civil transformation”.

The chairperson of Tagaddum, former Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, stated on his X account (formerly Twitter) on Saturday that “in continuation of our efforts to save the nation from the scourge of the devastating war”, he sent messages to the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North led by Abdelaziz El Hilu (SPLM-N El Hilu), the Sudan Liberation Movement under the leadership of Abdelwahid El Nur (SLM-AW), the Communist Party of Sudan, and the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party, requesting an urgent meeting for consultations about “building the broadest front to stop the war, and to lay the building blocks for the Sudan of the future, a Sudan in whose skies the flags of freedom, peace, justice, and equality fly”.

Received

The SLM-AW confirmed they received the invitation. The movement’s spokesperson, Abdelrahman El Nayer, told Radio Dabanga that it will be discussed at the next meeting of the SLM High Leadership Council.

The SLM-AW itself “is seeking, with all actors in Sudan, to stop the violence in the country, as it is a national issue that requires all Sudanese to do their utmost to stop this war”.

El Nayer referred to the Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue proposed by the movement in former years to solve the root causes of the recurring Sudanese crises. “We were going to announce the inter-Sudanese dialogue in 2019, but it was delayed for multiple reasons. Yet we do believe that the Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue is the best solution,” he explained.

“Currently, the priority now is to end the war. After the violence has been stopped, we will be able to address the roots of the crises that led Sudan to wars since 1955 until today, and when the time comes, we will put forward this initiative.”

The SPLM-N El Hilu as well received Hamdok’s invitation, Mohamed Yousef, one of the movements leaders and former Minister of Labour, told Radio Dabanga, without providing further details.

The Arab Socialist Baath Party announced it has agreed to the meeting, while the Communist Party has not yet announced its position.

Addis Ababa Declaration

On January 2, the Civil Democratic Forces alliance, represented by Hamdok, signed an agreement with RSF Commander Mohamed ‘Hemedti’ Dagalo in Addis Ababa, in which the paramilitary group agrees “to immediately and unconditionally stop hostilities” in direct negotiations with the SAF provided that the Tagaddum leaders agree with the army commanders “to adhere to the same procedures”.

Hamdok had also invited Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, commander-in-chief of the SAF for a similar meeting but has not received a response so far.

The signing of the agreement elicited diverse responses from Sudan’s various political stakeholders.

El Burhan warned Tagaddum “to stay away from the RSF leader if they are patriots” and “not to turn against the SAF as the militia did” in a speech on Friday.

The Darfur Bar Association (DBA) expressed a mix of approval and criticism, welcoming the agreement’s focus on humanitarian issues but pointed out flaws related to the political process and the potential legitimisation of military involvement in civilian affairs.

Ahmed Babiker, leading member of the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party, strongly criticised the agreement, viewing it as a setback for civilian forces and a potential catalyst for the militarisation of political life. He warned against giving legitimacy to armed groups seeking a political role.

The Communist Party of Sudan, which in 2019 refused to talk with the junta and withdrew from the FFC in end 2020, also denounced the Addis Ababa Declaration, warning of “repeating any form of partnership with the military”.

In a statement on Saturday, the party’s political bureau said that Tagaddum “has no right to deviate from its duties to stop the war” and directed sharp criticism concerning “the partnering with the military and RSF and circumventing the principles of impunity”.

The bureau stressed the importance of “opening safe corridors for relief items to reach those affected and securing the return of the displaced people to their homes” – an issue also cited in the Addis Ababa Declaration.

The party said it categorically rejects “calls by affiliates of the Al Bashir regime on civilians to take up arms,” and warned that this development will turn the current RSF-SAF conflict into a civil war “that will tear apart the country’s unity, threaten regional and international security, and open the way for international intervention”.

According to the Communist Party the only step forward constitutes of “building the broadest mass coalition to stop the war and restore the revolution, until it achieves its goals of democratic civil rule and accomplishes the tasks of the transitional period”.

Resistance committees

The resistance committees** that signed the Revolutionary Charter for People’s Authority in September 2022, have not been invited yet by Tagaddum to join the building of “the broadest democratic civil front possible”.

In a statement, received by Radio Dabanga yesterday, the grassroots committees announced their “firm and supportive position for all options to end the war and address its roots completely” but criticised the Addis Ababa Declaration for omitting “pivotal issues”.

The Tagaddum-RSF agreement “did not refer to all parties to the Juba Peace Agreement”, signed in October 2020 by the Sudanese government and the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) rebel alliance. “This can be considered a deliberate marginalisation by both parties of the rebel movements, in particular because of their position against the RSF.”

The grassroots activists described the Tagaddum-RSF approach to war and peace as fragmented, “in a way that only leads to a re-experience of earlier fragmented bilateral agreements signed in Naivasha, Abuja, Asmara, Cairo, and Juba, which turned out to be completely unsuccessful”.

The statement in particular faulted the political declaration for not addressing “the humanitarian crisis of the Masalit community and their mass displacement [from in West Darfur], caused by ethnic cleansing and genocide, and the occupation of their land by the RSF and their allies”.

Therefore, a comprehensive transitional justice process is needed, and should be part of any agreement. “Following the principle of non-impunity, all leaders directly involved in human rights violations should step down, to ensure the progress of justice procedures” – though the grassroots committees do not deny “the impossibility of the RSF acknowledging all its records of violations in the wars in Darfur and the Nuba Mountains, and the violent dispersal of the Khartoum sit-in” in June 2019.

The committees also indicated that the declaration “does not address the real risks associated with the reality of demographic change” and warned that it would lead to the accumulation of grievances and to the deepening of the crisis of the historical Sudanese conflict linked to conflicts over land.

* The FFC has been prone to divisions since its formation in early January 2019. The National Umma Party (NUP), the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), and the Socialist Arabic Ba’ath Party, which already witnessed internal splits during the reign of Al Bashir, fragmented further due to opposing views and standpoints on talks with the military. The Communist Party of Sudan withdrew from the FFC in the end of 2020. The mainstream Ba’ath Party left the coalition two year later. The FFC-CC now  consists of several (split-off) political parties and new groups such as the SPLM–Democratic Revolutionary Movement (DRM).

** The resistance committees that emerged during the 2018 December Revolution played an incredibly important part in Sudan’s pro-democracy movement ever since. The -mainly young- members emerged as watchdogs making sure that political parties and groups would not compromise on the ideals of the December revolution in exchange for government power, prominent Sudanese political scientist Atta El Battahani wrote in 2021. In November 2020, a year after a democratic transitional government was formed by Hamdok, the FFC began discussing the formation of a new legislative council. The resistance committees questioned FFC’s distribution of the 300 parliamentary seats and withdrew from the discussions. A legislative council was not formed. In January last year, the resistance committees of Khartoum began establishing local legislative councils in the city’s districts, which was to lead to the formation of a national parliament.

View original: https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/sudans-tagaddum-seeks-build-broadest-democratic-civil-front-possible

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Related Reports

Full Text: Addis Ababa Declaration

Addis Ababa Declaration between
The Coordination Body of the Democratic Civil Forces (Taqaddum) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)

Dated Tuesday, 02 January 2024

To view full text or download original click here: 

https://sudantribune.com/article280972/

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Asharq Al-Awsa - Wednesday, January 03, 2024 

Hemedti, Hamdok Sign Addis Ababa Declaration in Hope of Ending Sudan War 

Photo: RSF leader Hemedti (L) and former PM Hamdok sign the Addis Ababa Declaration on Tuesday, 02 January 2024 (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Full story: https://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/4765891-hemedti-hamdok-sign-addis-ababa-declaration-hope-ending-sudan-war%C2%A0

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Sudan Tribune - Wednesday, January 03, 2024

IGAD leader reaffirms to civilian forces commitment to peace in Sudan

Photo: President Guelleh received Hamdok on Wednesday, January 03, 2023

Full story: https://sudantribune.com/article280954/

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Sudan Tribune - Wednesday, January 03, 2024 

Sudan’s deputy chairman brushes off Addis Ababa Declaration

Photo: Sudan's Deputy Chairman of the Sovereign Council, Malik Agar

Full story: https://sudantribune.com/article280947/

ENDS