On May 2, 2023, ECFA held a seminar on the latest developments in the situation in Sudan, against the backdrop of the armed confrontation between the Sudanese army and Rapid Support elements. Ambassadors Salah Halima and Mohamed Badr El-Din Zayed, Dr. Sayed Fleifel, and Dr. Heba Gamal El-Din spoke during the event, while it was moderated by Ambassador Marwan Badr, Rapporteur of the ECFA’s Permanent Committee on African Affairs, in the presence of a number of ambassadors, academics and researchers, including ambassadors: Mohamed Al-Orabi, ECFA Chairman, Ezzat Saad, ECFA Director, Wafaa Bassim, Mounir Zahran, Rakha Hassan, Hisham Zadeh, Mohamed Al-Darghami, Mohamed Abdel Moneim Al-Shazly, Mohamed Al-Ashmawy, Mona Omar, Farouk Mabrouk, Hisham Al-Zemaity, and Dr. Sadeq Abdel-Aal, Dr. Yousry Abou Shady.
The participants expressed their regret for what is happening in sisterly Sudan, and discussed future scenarios for these developments, including the specter of partition, as some pointed out that there are quite a few studies, mainly Western, that propose some solutions, all of them being very dark, such as the right to self-determination, followed by the choice among self-rule, federalism, or confederation, reaching the point of re-demarcation of political borders, and the consequent end of the nation-state. There is no doubt that the current stage that Sudan is going through reveals extreme weakness, which would pave the way for such scenarios, especially in light of the internal differences among the Sudanese factions.
In this regard, the participants recommended the following: Commitment to emphasizing the unity and territorial integrity of Sudan and the situation consensually reached with the consent of the Sudanese people, and non-interference in its internal affairs. Commitment to integrating the Rapid Support Militia into the armed forces (in the police / in the civil sectors / or demobilization with financial support), merging or dissolving any other militias, and removing any foreign militias (Wagner), while supporting and preserving the national military institution, and carrying out security and military reforms in its regard. A ceasefire, and ending the war with the withdrawal of the Rapid Support Forces to gathering centers outside the capital, and the presence of the military and security institutions in their original centers and locations. Deploying civilian observers to monitor the ceasefire, as well as the cessation of hostilities, and opening and securing humanitarian corridors, whether to provide humanitarian aid or to repair and modernize the medical infrastructure and vital facilities in the capital, in preparation for the rebuilding and reconstruction phase.
They also urged the Sudanese side to develop the political process within the framework of a comprehensive Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue inclusive of all political forces and parties, and to move towards resuming the political process provided that the framework agreement is reformed and modernized by: expanding the scope of civil participation by including the democratic bloc, the forces which expressed reservation, and the other forces who expressed rejection, especially since the reasons for reservation and rejection no longer exist following these developments, and expanding participation in the tripartite and quartet mechanisms.
