On June 5, 2023, ECFA hosted a delegation of the United Nations Panel of Experts on the Sudan, at its request, to discuss the latest developments in Sudan, and to explore possible means to settle this file. Ambassadors Marwan Badr, Ezzat Saad, Mohamed Al-Noqaly, and Farouk Mabrouk participated in the meeting on the part of ECFA.
The delegation indicated that it is keen to investigate the situation in Sudan, in order to attempt to find a solution to the existing problems there, and that it is – to this end – trying to strengthen communication with all actors in the neighboring countries of Sudan, including Egypt, emphasizing the extreme complexity that characterizes the situation in Sudan. ECFA members agreed on the difficulty of the Sudanese scene and the chaos prevailing in it as a result of the ongoing fighting between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces, noting that this scene was expected to occur, and is similar in its general framework to its Syrian counterpart, in which internal, regional and international actors with varying goals and interests were involved. In addition, the efforts of regional and international organizations to heal the Sudanese rift have not succeeded, due to their weakness. IGAD, the Arab League, the African Union, or the United Nations are no exception.
The meeting also raised the issue of the displacement of Sudanese refugees to neighboring countries, as ECFA indicated that these countries cannot tolerate their presence for a long period, especially under the difficult economic conditions that each of them suffers from. This is in addition to security concerns. In a related context, ECFA members pointed out the difficulty of distinguishing between Darfurians, Libyans and Chadians, and that southern Libya has become a region for all illegal activities, as it has become a safe haven for terrorists and outlaws, and there is a criminal alliance among these groups despite their significant differences.
On the other hand, ECFA affirmed the importance of paying more attention to the necessity of combating the military militias present in the region, because with their mere presence they support each other, making it difficult to control the reins of security in the countries of the region, especially since the conditions in those countries are quite fragile. The importance of dealing seriously with the Libyan crisis, and the necessity of resolving it as soon as possible, was also stressed, as it is almost directly linked to the state of instability in Darfur. There is also a need to deal seriously with the dilemma of certain Arab countries financing some rebel movements in Sudan and Chad. Finally, ECFA warned of its concern regarding a disintegration of the Sudanese state and its regions, which would lead to the loss of the territorial integrity of the State of Sudan, and add more complexity to addressing internal Sudanese and other regional issues.
