Stop the violence

Zuma/ photo credit: Daily Maverick

The government of Sudan and the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) failed to reach a common ground to start their negotiation process, which practically ended before it even started, without a clear-cut agreement on outstanding issues. It did not stop at this disappointing kickoff, which came as no surprise given their past negotiation record, as things took a turn for the worst when the Sudan Liberation Front, of which the SPLM-N is a part, launched an attack on the city of Um-Rawaba in the state of North Kordofan.

With this attack, the SPLM-N has taken the fight to new areas beyond the states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

The government claimed the attack was a misguided attempt by the SPLM-N to tip the balance in its favor at the negotiating table, and an effort to impose a fait accompli to strengthen its bargaining position.

Both parties traded their usual accusations of unwillingness to reach a final agreement on agenda, and both accused each other of making new demands, leading to postponement of talks to this May, but without a fixed date.

Meanwhile, the African Union (AU) was quoted as saying that it could not specify a new date for resuming the stalled negotiations, because of other pressing engagements, both in the continent and internationally.

In a statement she issued on Sunday, the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, strongly condemned the armed attacks carried out in Um-Rawaba, pointing out that the “unfortunate incidents constitute a setback, as they have taken place immediately after the commencement of direct talks between Government of Sudan and the SPLM-N”.   

 The AU Chairperson appealed to the parties to the conflict to exercise maximum restraint and allow the political process to work through direct talks to reach a comprehensive resolution to the crisis in South Kordofan and Blue Nile States.

Dlamini-Zuma emphasised the urgent need for the two parties to continue and remain committed to their direct talks under the facilitation of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) and the Chairperson of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in the interest of peace, security and the well-being of the Sudanese people.

The recent attack on Um Rawabah and other areas in Northern Kordofan and the renewed shelling of Kadugli by anti-government forces is exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Blue Nile and South Kordofan and on-going and potential development assistance efforts, and the violence, as unanimously stated by the international community, can only set back efforts for a political resolution of the conflict in Sudan.  It is particularly disappointing in the context of the direct talks between the Government and the SPLM-N, not to mention that destroying civilian installations such as power stations and public facilities is not the way to approach peace.

The blame game rhetoric aside, both sides bear a great measure of responsibility for creating the sort of difficulty that could lead to a humanitarian catastrophe.

After almost two years of fighting, all parties need to give the direct talks a chance to succeed.