Strategies to End Sudan’s Conflict: Political & Civil Society Organizations Convene
To explore strategies for putting an end to the conflict consuming Sudan, political and civil society organizations from Sudan convened in Egypt on Saturday.
That being said, the warring sides refrained from attending the meeting that Egypt sponsored.
Simmering tensions between the nation’s military and an infamous paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, erupted into open warfare in the country’s capital, Khartoum, in April of last year, plunging Sudan into anarchy.
According to the United Nations, the catastrophic violence has claimed the lives of over 14,000 people and injured 33,000 more, but rights campaigners believe the number might be considerably higher.
It caused the greatest displacement catastrophe in history, forcing over 11 million people to escape their homes.
International experts issued a warning last month, stating that 8.5 million people are experiencing severe food shortages and that 755,000 people could face famine in the upcoming months.
The event on Saturday was the most recent attempt to put an end to the conflict in Sudan.
The Egyptian government is hosting it in the megacity of the New Administrative Capital, which is east of Cairo.
Previous attempts to stop the conflict failed, including negotiations between the military and the RSF mediated by the US and Saudi Arabia.
In his inaugural speech, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty declared, “Any real political solution to the crisis in Sudan must be based on a purely Sudanese vision emanating from the Sudanese themselves.”An alliance of political parties and organizations supporting democracy, chaired by former prime minister Abdalla Hamdok, was among the numerous Sudanese groups present at the summit.
Several rebel commanders from Sudan, such as Gibril Ibrahim from the Justice and Equality Movement and Malik Agar from the Sudan Revolutionary Front, were also there.
There were also representatives from other nations, the African Union, the United Nations, the European Union, and the Arab League.
Extra references: AP
