Negotiations between Sudan’s warring parties are moving forward indirectly and virtually, despite the absence of a delegation from the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) in Geneva, where U.S. diplomats launched a new peace effort three days ago.
U.S. Special Envoy Tom Perriello said the initiative won’t immediately solve the crisis but is sowing “the seed of hope.”
According to Perriello, a diplomatic coalition of American, Egyptian, Saudi, and other diplomats are in “regular contact” with the military government in Port Sudan, as well as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), yielding progress on some issues.
“If the [Sudanese] army doesn’t show up here… we keep negotiating. This is 2024, we live in a virtual world, we put these diplomatic partners together because many of us have significant communication capacity with the sides… and many lines of communication,” he said.
“We lose something, of course, when we’re not in person—we’re not able to do full mediation—but we are moving forward with these negotiations because the people of Sudan have made clear that this is urgent, and they want action. Certainly, the Biden Administration and Secretary Blinken have heard that and said to me, ‘Do whatever you can.’ Yes, there are some limits, but they are not complete limits...”
Nevertheless, Perriello reiterated his appeal to Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan to send a delegation to Geneva, saying it was “tragic” that the Sudanese military hasn’t already done so.
The U.S. envoy was speaking Friday with YouTuber and podcaster and Saad Alkabli, joined by an Arabic interpreter. Tens of thousands of Sudanese viewed the interview (or parts of it) on various platforms within hours, according to public analytics.
Perriello said the announced reopening of the Adré border crossing is one positive outcome of these talks:
“We are already working towards agreements, working toward implementation of Adré and many more, we’re only on the third day of these virtual proximity talks, and we are hoping to produce more results, and I think that’s what the Sudanese people want. But it’s still early in the process and we are very, very determined.”
Perriello made similar comments to Radio Dabanga’s editor-in-chief Kamal Elsadig, saying, “We are regularly engaged with both RSF and SAF through phone calls and other means. And in today’s modern world, we can continue with these negotiations and we are going to continue to do everything we can building on things…”
“…We are in touch with the SAF many times a day, both as a team, but also the individuals that are here, the Egyptians, Saudis, ourselves. So, we live in a modern world where we can find ways to consult, as we did beforehand and move forward.”
The Geneva talks between Sudan’s warring parties were supposed to begin Wednesday, August 14, after U.S. Secretary of State Antony extended invitations to the two sides to discuss a ceasefire, humanitarian access measures, and developing a monitoring and verification mechanism to ensure implementation of any agreement. Blinken said the talks were not meant to discuss broader political issues.
After the Sudanese military declined to send a delegation, the U.S. launched the talks with an opening roundtable of diplomatic stakeholders, including representatives of the African Union, UN Secretary-General, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. After that, the diplomats held consultations with technical experts to discuss issues of civilian protection, humanitarian access, and cessation of hostilities.
Sudanese civil society groups and women’s leaders are also attending the Geneva talks, supported by the U.S. State Department’s Office of Global Women’s Issues and Canada’s Women, Peace and Security initiative.
A delegation of the Rapid Support Forces remains in Geneva but has not made any public appearances with the mediators. In a statement Friday, the RSF offered to help open a new trans-Saharan route for humanitarian convoys from Daba in Northern State to El Fasher. They boasted, “The arrival of our delegation in Geneva is driven by our ethical, legal, and humanitarian duties to the people of Sudan, free from any pursuit of political gains. The RSF remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring the safe passage and protection of humanitarian convoys…”
The RSF have caused famine conditions in parts of North Darfur by laying siege to El Fasher and obstructing the arrival of relief supplies and commercial convoys. They have shelled the city, including houses and hospitals, killing hundreds of civilians.
Although the RSF have welcomed ceasefire talks, they have simultaneously continued offensive military operations, including by recently shelling El Fasher and El Obeid and making incursions into White Nile State.
For its part, the military government based in Port Sudan is divided over whether to negotiate or continue the war. Some senior members of the military government said publicly that they would never negotiate with the RSF. On the other hand, they sent a delegation to Jeddah last week for consultations with the U.S. mediators.
Envoy says RSF has no political legitimacy
According to the podcaster, Alkabli, one of the concerns of his listeners is whether ceasefire talks in Geneva could lead to the legitimization of the RSF. He asked Perriello, “If the RSF were advancing politically and they were trying to form a government, would it be accepted [by the United States]?”
The U.S. diplomat replied: “We do not want to see any partition of Sudan and we do not recognize any political legitimacy for the RSF. In fact, we don’t have any of the political groups at these talks because we think that the ceasefire negotiations need to be separate from the ongoing political dialogue that the African Union, Egypt, and others are supporting.”
“This is one of the reasons why we have invited the two parties in their military capacities, because in ceasefire negotiations that ensures that you insist on no legitimacy of the parties…”
Full interview
Here is the full interview between Tom Perriello and Saad Alkabli:
