US Negotiations Lead to 3-Day Ceasefire in Sudan
Smoke appeared from Khartuom, Sudan on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. Source: AP News
In an effort to stem ongoing military violence in Sudan, the United States requested a 72-hour ceasefire between the Sudanese army and a powerful paramilitary group, Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in hopes of creating a peaceful resolution.
President Joe Biden ordered a group of 100 special forces to evacuate US diplomats and foreign officials from Sudan's capital last Saturday. Biden issued a statement, saying “today, on my orders, the United States military conducted an operation to extract US government personnel from Khartoum.”
However, the US government received scrutiny after it was revealed that thousands of US citizens were left behind. Due to the intensity of the situation in Sudan, international airports in the country are shut down and roads are occupied by competing factions.
The Biden administration defended itself by stating that initiating a mass evacuation would be risky and that President Biden was carefully monitoring the state and wellbeing of US citizens present in the country.
However, since that statement, the Biden administration is rumored to be formulating a plan to send a consular fly away team to Sudan to remove the remaining American citizens from the country. The procedure will be similar to that of Afghanistan during the Taliban's rise to power in 2021.
After evacuating government officials, the US government proceeded to engage in negotiations with the two parties. Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed the ceasefire, announcing, “The United States urges the SAF and RSF to immediately and fully uphold the ceasefire. To support a durable end to the fighting, the United States will coordinate with regional and international partners, and Sudanese civilian stakeholders, to assist in the creation of a committee to oversee the negotiation, conclusion, and implementation of a permanent cessation of hostilities and humanitarian arrangements in Sudan.”
The Sudanese army and RSF were once allies during the 2021 coup in Sudan against autocrat Omar al-Bashir. Sudanese armed forces General Abdel Fattah Burhan and RSF leader General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo teamed up to overthrow al-Bashir’s regime.
While the alliance was to achieve a similar goal, the relationship became strained due to power struggles over the RSF’s integration into the military.
Disagreements over the position of the military commander-in-chief and questions surrounding who had control over the country pushed both parties to use force to assert their authority. Since then, 185 people have been killed, with thousands of others injured.
Burhan and Dagalo have a history of human rights abuses, and both are infamous for suppressing pro-democracy activism.
Source: Al-Jazeera News
RSF published a statement online supporting their truce “in order to open humanitarian corridors, facilitate the movement of citizens and residents, enable them to fulfill their needs, reach hospitals and safe areas, and evacuate diplomatic missions.”
On Thursday, Sudanese armed forces agreed to extend the ceasefire for an additional 72 hours due to pressure from the US and Saudi Arabia. Despite this short-term resolution, there are reports of ongoing armed activity violating the truce.