Asmaa Al-Husseini (Khartoum)
Representatives of the Sudanese civil forces engaged in intensive meetings in order to form a unified civil front to end the fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, and to restore the democratic path.
Dr. Al-Baqir Al-Afif, Sudanese writer and thinker, representative of the Civil Front to Stop the Fighting and Restore Democracy, told Al-Ittihad that there are many initiatives by the civil forces in Sudan to stop the battles and restore the democratic path with civilian leadership, and we are now working to unify these initiatives. We will hold intensive meetings, and our goal is to unify the civil forces and provide a civilian voice representing the Sudanese democratic forces.
He expressed his belief that the presence of this unified civil voice will be influential and will fill the current void, because we fear that the bearers of arms will chart the future path for Sudan, in the absence of a strong unified voice of the civil forces, adding: “We are now taking accelerated steps in order to collect the largest number of initiatives in one meeting.” It includes the largest representation of political parties and forces, trade unions, professional federations, resistance committees, civil society organizations, thought leaders and public figures in Sudan. In this meeting, agreement is reached on a declaration of principles.
Al-Baqir Al-Afif added, “There are many proposals to establish a committee representing the Sudanese civil forces to join the international initiatives proposed to stop the fighting, and then start the political track.”
And he added, “I think that the presence of a group that represents the civil voice in Sudan is important, and that it will explain to the world the point of view of the Sudanese people, and it will be part of these international initiatives that must also be unified.”
He explained that the first priority would be to stop the fighting, put an end to the bloodshed in the capital, Khartoum and Darfur, and exert all pressure in cooperation with the regional and international community in order to stop the fighting, and put in place the mechanisms required to monitor the ceasefire effectively, and then provide urgent relief to those affected by the fighting, the displaced, refugees and those stranded in the conflict. Crossings and borders to shelter them and protect them from the scourge of battles, by all possible means, and then work on the participation of civilians in any future negotiations for the establishment of peace and the political process for a democratic transition led by civilians.
For his part, Major General Kamal Ismail, head of the “Sudanese National Alliance” and leader of the “Freedom and Change” forces, revealed to “Al-Ittihad” other meetings in order to unite the Sudanese civil forces, whose priority was to stop the fighting, stressing the difficult situation in Sudan, which requires action. Seriously, in order to unify the civil forces, and to work effectively and in coordination to stop the fighting, and restore stability and the democratic civil path in Sudan.
On the ground, battles are still going on in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, between the two sides of the crisis, in the vicinity of military bases.
In western Sudan, the United Nations warned of the escalation of the conflict to “alarming levels” in Darfur.
Since fighting broke out in April, millions of people are still caught in the crossfire, without electricity or water, in stifling heat.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported yesterday that since the outbreak of fighting in Sudan in mid-April, more than 2.6 million people have fled their homes.
The office indicated that more than 2.1 million people have been internally displaced, including 1.4 million people who fled the capital, Khartoum, and more than 560,000 people crossed the borders to neighboring countries, most of them to Egypt, Chad and South Sudan, according to the official website of the United Nations.
In the past two months, humanitarian organizations have reached more than 2.8 million people across the country with food, nutrition, health, water and protection services, said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the United Nations, at a daily press conference.
But Farhan Haq said insecurity and bureaucratic barriers to access, including a lack of visas for international NGOs, as well as attacks on humanitarian buildings and warehouses, continue to impede the ability of the UN and its partners to deliver aid safely.
He added, “We are facing great difficulties in reaching people in conflict-affected areas in Khartoum, Darfur and Kordofan. Since the beginning of the crisis, 13 humanitarian workers have been killed, and many more have been injured, and some are still missing.”
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