SUDAN WATCH: Malik Agar

Showing posts with label Malik Agar. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 20, 2023

IGAD sticks to mediation roadmap amid Sudan rejection of Kenya President Ruto's lead role

Report at The EastAfrican - theeastafrican.co.ke

By Aggrey Mutambo

By Mawahib Abdallatif

Dated Thursday 15 June 2023 - full copy:

Igad sticks to mediation roadmap amid Sudan rejection of Ruto's lead role

Kenya President William Ruto when he met Sudan army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan special envoy Malik Agar Nganyoufa (left) on May 29, 2023, and, right, the paramilitary RSF Mohamed Hamdani Daglo ‘HemedtI's political advisor Youssef Ezzat on June 3, 2023. PHOTOS | PPU | RSF TWITTER

Summary

Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it expressed disagreement to a number of paragraphs mentioned in the draft final statement of the summit.
Burhan considers himself the definitive head of Sudan and has labelled Hemedti as a rebel.
UN mission in Sudan said it was deeply shocked by the killing of Governor of West Darfur in El Geneina.

Sudan has rejected the appointment of Kenyan President William Ruto as head of a quartet to facilitate peace under the regional bloc, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad)

The junta leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan accused Nairobi of having “harboured” sympathies for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), whose leader Mohammed Hamdan Daglo Hemedti was once his deputy, but is now an arch-enemy.

The latest statement on Thursday [15 June] came as Sudan had also rejected the Igad mediation schedule, which would have seen Ruto arrange for a face-to-face meeting, for the first time, between the two warring generals.

Igad had insisted it would stick to the mediation quartet led by Kenya in the search for peace in Sudan, even after Khartoum rejected the proposals, in spite of Sudanese protests.

According to officials familiar with the decision, resolutions publicised in an official Igad communique remain in force until formally revised by the heads of state and government of the eight-member bloc.

On Monday, Igad had named Kenya, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Djibouti as members of a quartet to help Sudanese warring generals seek peace.

Sudan said, after the meeting, that Igad announced the mediation plan without consent from Burhan.

Governor assassinated

The rejection portends early problems with the ‘roadmap’ to help achieve long-term ceasefire and came as the governor of West Darfur was assassinated.

On Monday [12 June], just two days after the Igad summit in Djibouti, Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed it had rejected any mention of mediation and also opposed being replaced as chair of Igad. The summit had appointed Djibouti to replace Sudan for the next one year, under the new rules that follow an alphabetical order of members.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Foreign Affairs ministry said it “expressed its disagreement and objection to a number of paragraphs that were mentioned in the draft final statement of the summit due to the fact that they were not discussed and agreed upon, and the delegation called on the Igad Secretariat to delete them.”

“These paragraphs relate to changing the chairmanship of the Igad committee, as the delegation demanded that South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit retain the chairmanship of the committee and demanded the deletion of any reference to the subject of mediation.”

Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Korir Sing’oei said there had been no official protest from Sudan but did suggest only the Summit can revise the decisions.

“Both the inclusion of the Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to the Troika mandated to seek peace in Sudan Crisis and the appointment of President William Ruto to lead the quartet was arrived at by the Igad Summit and can only be vacated by the Summit,” Dr Singoei said.

No official communication on this yet. But both the inclusion of PM @AbiyAhmedAli to the Troika mandated to seek peace in #SudanCrisis & appointment of @WilliamsRuto to lead the Quartet was arrived at by the IGAD Summit & can only be vacated by the Summithttps://t.co/ePhMqqbUzh
— Korir Sing'Oei (@SingoeiAKorir) June 15, 2023

Incidentally, a Sudanese representative Malik Agar, who is also the Deputy Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council of the Republic of the Sudan, chaired the summit. Agar replaced Mohamed Hamdani Daglo ‘Hemedti’, the leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that has since April 15 been fighting Burhan’s Sudan Armed Forces.

Sudan says it notified Igad regarding the need for Kiir “to continue chairing the Quartet Committee that was approved by the summit in accordance with the objective considerations mentioned by Uganda President Yoweri Museveni in the Igad Emergency Summit that was held online on April 16, 2023.” At the time, Juba led Uganda and Kenya in the earlier troika that sought to travel to Khartoum but failed.

During the summit attended by leaders from the eight member states and officials from associated organisations, Sudan is said to have rejected proposals for dialogue with Hemedti.

“Igad underlined the importance of consultation and coordination with the Government of the Sudan regarding all-inclusive efforts aiming at solving the ongoing conflict,” a communique said.

Somalia or Djibouti?

But behind the scenes as a raging Khartoum felt the weight of the proposals by Igad, Ruto said a quartet of Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Somalia would work with the AU to help achieve peace in Sudan. The official communique released, unusually more than 24 hours after the meeting, named Djibouti, rather than Somalia in the quartet.

“This group was supposed to arrange, within ten days, a face-to-face meeting between Burhan and Hemedti in one of the regional capitals, and, within 2 weeks, secure a commitment for humanitarian corridor. An inclusive political process towards a political settlement was to start within three weeks,” it said.

“We have taken the decision…so that we can speak to them directly on behalf of Igad, with the view of stopping the war that is raging,” said President Ruto at a press briefing in Djibouti, where the summit had gathered on Monday.

“Kenya commits to meet the two Sudan generals face to face to find a lasting solution to the crisis.”

A diplomat familiar with the discussions told The EastAfrican, Sudan had indeed opposed the clauses, and especially the inclusion of Ethiopia with which they have a decades-old unresolved border dispute. But was convinced South Sudan will still play a leading role on the committee, including hosting the meeting.

Traditionally, communiques have often been released only on the endorsement of the respective ambassadors of member states.

But the official said Sudan’s beef with Kenya in the lead is the fact that they already gave an ear to an envoy of the RSF earlier this month. On June 3, Ruto met with RSF political advisor Youssef Ezzat. But the RSF claimed the meeting was “part of a tour encompassing friendly nations, aimed to elucidate the evolving situation in Sudan.”

Burhan considers himself the definitive head of Sudan and has labelled Hemedti as a rebel.

“With a comprehensive understanding, Ezzat provided Ruto with an insightful explanation of the war's causes and the prevailing circumstances, backed by accurate information regarding its motives and the responsible parties,” RSF tweeted of the Nairobi meeting.

Since April 15, their clash has led to more than 1,200 deaths, 800,000 displacements and serious property destruction. The sides have signed seven ceasefire deals, all broken within hours of declaration.

On Wednesday, Khamis Abdullah Abakar, the Governor of West Darfur was murdered as the war continued to expand to key strongholds.

The late governor of West Darfur State Khamis Abdullah Abakar. PHOTO | SUDAN NEWS AGENCY VIA AFP

Burhan accused RSF of killing the governor hours after he had accused Hemedti's forces and its militia allies of committing genocide in his region.

But RSF, denying the claims, condemned his killing and accused the army of being responsible for arming one of the parties to the conflict.

Activists in Sudan had published videos and pictures of his earlier arrest, and later of him being killed.

The news of the killing comes days after the intensification of armed clashes in the city of El Geneina (the centre of West Darfur State), after the city "turned into something like a ghost town due to the continuous fighting," according to the Sudanese Doctors Syndicate statement.

The United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (Unitams) said it was “deeply shocked by the killing of governor of West Darfur in El Geneina.”

Unitams in a statement “strongly condemns this heinous act. Compelling eyewitness accounts attribute this act to Arab militias and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), even though the RSF communicated a denial of their involvement to the mission”.

The UN Mission in Sudan called for the perpetrators to be swiftly brought to justice and the cycle of violence in the region to not expand further.

“The loss of Khamis Abdullah Abakar, a key interlocutor in the region and a signatory of the Juba Peace Agreement, is deeply regrettable for Unitams” the statement said.

Read:

Igad to hold direct talks with Sudan generals

Sudan: Burhan rejects direct talks with Hemedti

Kiir: Sudan rivals ‘ready’ for talks

Ruto: Sudan war atrocious, regional threat

UN warns of mass exodus from Sudan

UN Mission launches political transition talks in Sudan

View original: https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/rest-of-africa/igad-sticks-to-mediation-roadmap-amid-sudan-rejection-of-ruto-4271410

[Ends]

Saturday, June 17, 2023

IGAD picks Kenya to spearhead peace, democratic transition in Sudan

NOTE, This means that Nairobi, Kenya (where UN SRSG Volker Perthes has set up an office :) will begin hosting delegations of politicians, civil society, community-based organisations and opinion leaders to deliberate on returning Sudan to the democratic process. Friendly Kenyans are popular.

Interestingly, Kenya-South Sudan relations are bilateral relations between South Sudan and Kenya. South Sudan is a strategic partner of Kenya in many areas. Both countries have cultural similarities as many people from South Sudan lived in Kenya before independence.

Monday, May 22, 2023

Sudan Journalists Syndicate demands RSF leaves broadcasting HQ. RSF shot photojournalist in back

NOTE that this photo was taken on April 14. It shows a Sudan Journalists Syndicate meeting held to discuss the security situation in Sudan. The meeting was held one day before 'surprise' fighting erupted in Khartoum.

Earlier this month a group of RSF rebels raided the office of El Hirak El Siyasi newspaper in Khartoum and award-winning Sudanese photojournalist Faiz Abubakr Mohamed was shot in the back. Read more.

Report at Radio Dabanga - dabangasudan.org

Dated Sunday 21 May 2023

Sudan Journalists Syndicate demand RSF leaves broadcasting HQ

Sudan Journalists Syndicate meet to discuss the security situation in the country on April 14, one day before the outbreak of war (Source: SJS)

(KHARTOUM / OMDURMAN - May 21, 2023) - As Sudan entered its 34th day of war on Friday, the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate (SJS) released a statement condemning the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) use of “media and press institutions as a field of military battles.”

“The Radio and Television Corporation has been suspended from working and broadcasting since April 15,” when clashes between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF, a powerful paramilitary group, spiralled into war.

On April 17, the organisation reported that 17 employees of the Sudan News Agency (SUNA) were “stranded” inside buildings on Republic Street in Omdurman, Khartoum state. A number of them were reported to have been evacuated on April 19.

In its latest statement, the SJS called on the RSF to immediately leave radio and television headquarters so that journalists can continue to do their work. “Their adoption of military bases puts the historical national legacy inside the two organs at risk of destruction and sabotage.”

The SJS also appealed to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) “to intervene with the warring parties in Sudan” in order to save radio and television libraries.

“We call on the organisation, out of its responsibility to preserve human heritage… to save this legacy from being lost.”

Since fighting erupted in Sudan last month, supporters from both sides have threatened journalists for criticising human rights violations by both sides, according to the SJS.

On May 16, Al Jazeera reported that six people have been told that they will be hurt or killed if they continue reporting abuses in Sudan.

The SJS expressed its concerns about “new threats against men and women journalists” in a statement on May 11, after lists began circulating on social media calling out journalists for betraying the SAF and inciting violence against them. According to journalists who spoke to Al Jazeera, members of the National Congress Party claim “anyone who appears neutral is against the army and with the RSF.”

Earlier this month, a group of paramilitaries of the RSF raided the office of El Hirak El Siyasi newspaper in Khartoum and a Sudanese photojournalist was shot in the back.

Following its reformation last year, the SJS said that the press and media in Sudan have faced unprecedented targeting since the October 2021 coup.

Before April 15, Sudan was already ranked 151 out of 180 in the World Press Freedom Index, and 29 out of 100 (i.e. ‘Not Free’) in Freedom House’s Internet Freedom Index. “Anti-journalist predators enjoy total impunity and are protected by the authorities” in Sudan, states Reporters Without Borders on its website.

Sunday, August 04, 2019

UN Envoy Nicholas Haysom: Sudan in deep economic crisis - Fragile transition will need military protection

Note from Sudan Watch Editor: The United Nations Secretary-General's special adviser on Sudan, Nicholas Haysom is interviewed by Asharq Al-Awsat. Below is a copy of the interview. Yellow highlighting is mine.

Note, in the interview Mr Haysom describes Sudan as an Arab country. Also, he explains that Sudan is suspended by the African Union until such time as there is a civilian handover. And that the US Congress passed a resolution maintaining its suspension and sanction against the regime until there is a handover. He says Sudan is in deep economic crisis, so the sooner there is a handover the sooner Sudan can begin to normalise its both diplomatic and economic relations with the rest of the world.

In the interview, Mr Haysom talks about how the UN Security Council suspended recently the withdrawal of UNAMID from Darfur and that there needs to be a discussion with the Sudanese government about the pulldown of UNAMID and the consequences of that pulldown, and the question is who to talk to, given that there is going to be a new civilian led government.

Mr Haysom says the UN took a position early on to support the African Union initiative. He added that the international community wanted to “see a clear commitment: a civilian led authority, but we would recognise that the transition would be a fragile and volatile period, and it will need the military to protect it.” Full interview here below.

Article from Asharq Al-Awsat
Written by ALI BARADA - New York

Date published: Tuesday, 16 July 2019 10:30

Photo: UN envoy Nicholas Haysom (AFP)

UN Envoy to Asharq Al-Awsat: Sudan Transition Will Be Fragile and Need Military Protection

United Nations Secretary-General's special adviser on Sudan, Nicholas Haysom, revealed that the international community has thrown its weight behind the African Union initiative on the transition of power following the ouster of president Omar al-Bashir.

In exclusive remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said the UN took a position early on to support the initiative. He added that the international community wanted a to “see a clear commitment: a civilian led authority, but we would recognize that the transition would be a fragile and volatile period, and it will need the military to protect it.”

*It seems that the parties in Sudan have made some progress toward settling the situation there after toppling Bashir rule. How do you view this development from a UN perspective?

- The UN took a position early on to support the African Union initiative. The African Union has set a benchmark which was to transfer from military rule to a civilian led authority. It is not quite clear what a civilian led authority means in detail, but of course what is important is that the Sudanese themselves agree on an arrangement that could be suggestive that it has the support of the civilian section of the dispute. It is quite clear from the agreement that there is some kind of partnership or alliance between the civilians and the military. But what is still disputed the exact terms of that partnership. I think from the international community, we would want to see a clear commitment: a civilian led authority, but we would recognize that the transition would be a fragile and volatile period, and it will need the military to protect it. At the same time, we would want to see civilians in charge of the business of governing and some respect for that from the military. How that will exactly play out we’ve yet to see. You may know that they are trying to agree a text as we speak. Hopefully they will finalize that soon to deal with some important issues, such as to how the relationship between the military and the civilians, will the military have a veto over the civilian decisions.

*So you don’t see what they have achieved so far as a breakthrough?

- It is a breakthrough that they reached an agreement. The terms of that agreement once they start to look at it, both sides realize they have different interpretations. So we wouldn’t celebrate it as a done deal until it is a done deal.

*How quickly do you want to see the powers transferred to civilians?

- I think the sooner the better. I must say the international community will feel uneasy dealing and making long term arrangements with the military authority. There is some impatience to see civilian authority in place, so we can begin to deal with some of the important issues which lie ahead. Now let just stress that Sudan is in a deep economic crisis apart from its political challenges. Digging at us is the economic crisis, is a medium to long term endeavor which will require the commitment of the member states, international financial institutions and the neighborhood to put in place a program which will see Sudan’s economic relationship with the rest of the world normalized. As you know, it is listed by the United States as a state sponsoring terrorism, which impacts also its attempts to secure debt relief. These things are all possible: lifting it of the list, securing the debt relief, and there is a considerable good will toward Sudan if it makes progress toward a civilian lead authority…

*How is the UN and yourself helping in achieving these objectives?

- We’ve been confining our support largely to securing international support for the African Union on this issue and its initiative. In other words, we’ve avoided trying to introduce a UN track in addition to the AU track. That would be problematic.

*We witnessed how the Arab world has extended some support in that direction.

- Yes, there is good will towards the efforts that the Sudanese people, because you know they’ve quite bravely trying to take their destiny in their own hands, and they’ve done that with discipline, and they’ve held six months of absolutely peaceful demonstrations despite provocations, and they’ve done so with considerable courage, and the participation of ordinary people. Look at the pictures, we would see women and children and ordinary people who are taking the streets.

Sudan needs Arab support

*What are your expectations from the Arab states? Sudan is an Arab country beside its African identity.

- There was a delegation from the League of the Arab States in Sudan. They’ve expressed support, and we would count on them to continue their support. We also need the support of the neighborhood which are across the Red sea including the Gulf countries. Bear in mind that Sudan is a poor country as well, and would need financial support not only from the Arab world but also from the rest of the world, but certainly from the Arab countries. Sudan itself certainly has an element of Arab and African identity, surrounded by African countries, and in particularly volatile region, the Horn of Africa. It is boarded by countries in conflict: Somalia, South Sudan, Central African Republic and Libya. If things go badly in Sudan, it would have an impact on the region as a whole, which is already quite fragile.

On the other hand, this is a remarkable opportunity for Sudan, not just to deal with its current political crisis, but also to deal with the problems and the fault lines which have affected it for more than fifty years, to create a new social contract which involves also, as they say in Sudan, not only the river on people but also the periphery and Darfur… So what we are hoping for is not this agreement coming up and trying to sign now, but a much larger agreement which would resolve the issues that the Sudanese face with each other across the regions of Sudan.

*Have you conveyed this message to the Sudanese?

- Yes, to the players, all of them, that this is to be sure a challenge, but also an incredible opportunity that shouldn’t let slip.

*What do you hear from them?

- They recognize that, and I think that both sides have prioritized the broader peace. The armed groups in different parts of the country has a priority facing the transitional government.

*So do you think this is an opportunity to lift Sudan not only from the current crisis but also from its chronic ills?

- Yes, from the chronic crisis that has been there for a long time. Yes.

*What do they have to do?

- I think in the first instance, they have to find a way in which the armed groups can participate in a larger discussion about how Sudan should be managed and governed.

*Is the UN willing and working on helping achieve this goal?

- We’ve been speaking to them, and encouraging people.

*Who did you speak with?

- I spoke recently to and to Malik Agar and Minni Minnawi… I was in Addis Ababa also. In the past I had a meeting with the military.

*It is worthwhile mentioning the military because of the major role they are playing now.

- They have both the power to take the country to a better place but also the power to insure that it slips into catastrophic crisis if they try to cling to power.

*So are you worried?

- No, that is why we are happy about the agreement because it seems to signal an appreciation that there needs to be a handover to a civilian authorities.

Jealous sub-regional organizations

*Let me be honest, there is this notion that the UN is useless when it comes to crises like this one. Why the UN would succeed in Sudan if it fails everywhere else?

- Let me try to repeat: we are not trying to lead the efforts in Sudan. It is quite right that the UN shouldn’t lead every effort where in Africa the regional and the sub-regional organizations are quite jealous about the need to be in the first instance those who try to resolve the problems in their own neighborhood. So that is not abandoning those people. We are behaving appropriately and in support of those who should take the lead. I am not sure that the UN is useless to the extent to which is more likely regarded as ineffective is not because of the staff of the UN or its methodologies, but that has been largely a reflection of the member states divisions and inability to find consensus in the Security Council.

*Is there enough support in the Security Council?

- I think there is one circumstance in which it is more likely to be broad base support, and that is the multilateral organizations of the continent have given a lead in the Security Council across its political spectrum is more likely to support that initiative.

*We have not seen a powerful product from the Security Council to support the efforts that you are making, and that of the AU?

- Well they issued a united statement days after they debated the situation in Sudan, and I think that was critically because the African Union had given a clear signal that it expected the Security Council to support it. That doesn’t really apply elsewhere very often.

*You are a mediator. Do you need the support of the Security Council?

- I think at the end of the day, the Security Council is the sort of ultimate authority, and if it can’t muster a voice to give a lead of an issue, then the mediator hands are also weakened.

Accountability for past crimes

*One of the other lingering issues is that Bashir and others have been indicted by the ICC, and there is a question about what is going to happen now with them.

- This is an issue that I think you have to turn to the Sudanese people to decide. I can’t be decided solely by the external community. They have to decide whether they want accountability for past crimes and how far they should go. You know the more immediate issue is not President Bashir. The more immediate issue is the killing of the protesters during the course of the this. The protesters have now demanded some form of accountability, and there is currently a debate in Sudan on whether that should have an international character or a national form of accountability. I don’t want to comment now on whether I prefer national or international accountability, but I would stress that the Sudanese should have ownership of it if it is going to have a more lasting effect… They have to support what form of accountability they choose. It needs to be part of there reconciliation process, and that is more likely to happen where there is national ownership, which may mean some international involvement or not.

*When are you going back to Sudan? What are you going to do?

- I hope I can go this week, and that there will be a signing ceremony for the agreement. This agreement will need to be developed as it goes along. It will need to be implemented and it won’t be easy. It is quite clear from what we’ve seen that there are different perspectives on how strong the supervisory role the military should have if at all, and how this will play out as they go forward in establishing a government and appointing ministers and other important aspects of the civilian rule.

*Is there a timeframe?

- There is no timeframe envisaged thus yet. But as we speak, Sudan is suspended by the African Union until such time where a civilian handover. The US Congress passed a resolution maintaining its suspension and sanction against the regime until there is a handover. So the sooner there is a handover the sooner Sudan can begin to normalize its both diplomatic and economic relations with the rest of the world.

*Also the Security Council suspended recently the withdrawal of UNAMID from Darfur.

- That’s right. There needs to be a discussion with the Sudanese government about the pulldown of UNAMID and the consequences of that pulldown, and the question that beg is who do we talk to, given that there is going to be a new civilian led government.

*And ultimately there should be some kind of elections...

- Ultimately this is about a transitional phase, which is about establishing a bridge to a normal situation, a democracy or whatever the country wants to establish. Transition normally culminate an election, then it stops to be a transition. It is a new government.

To view the original article click here: https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1815036/un-envoy-asharq-al-awsat-sudan-transition-will-be-fragile-and-need-military

Further Reading

US backs Sudan transition deal fearing state collapse

Article from The Financial Times 11 July 2019

Sudan Watch - Friday 12 July 2019

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2019/07/us-backs-sudan-transition-deal-fearing.html