An Open Letter to the US Department of State in Relation to the Geneva Talks By: Eiman Baldo

An Open Letter to the US Department of State in Relation to the Geneva Talks
By: Eiman Baldo
After sixteen months of war, Sudan is witnessing the world’s largest humanitarian disaster. Millions of the Sudanese people are suffering the largest hunger crisis by far in the world today.
The Sudanese Armed Forces and the Paramilitary Rapid Support Forces unquestionably bear the primary responsibility for the carnage that has ensured since April 15th 2024. There is a total moral collapse and high emotional cost country wide. As the war started in the capital where many production and service sectors were centralised, there is immeasurable cost in terms of the destruction of infrastructure, industrial complexes and livelihoods. Millions of Sudanese have lost their properties, their family ties and their livelihoods while thousands have lost their lives. More than 10 million Sudanese are now displaced multiple times inside the country and according to IOM more than 2 millions have found their way into neighbouring countries living in very precarious situations. We are a nation on flight mode with every woman and girl being a victim of rape, in waiting.
The Looming Famine
Sudan is suffering the largest hunger crisis in the world according to UN agencies. By October 2024, more than 2.5 million are projected to have died from starvation (Payton Knopf, Justsecurity.org, 12 August 2024). The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the UN backed global authority tracking food insecurity and hunger, warned that immediate action is needed to:
“prevent wide spread death and total collapse of livelihoods and avert a catastrophic hunger crisis in Sudan.”
On Tuesday, 23 July 2024, the United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the US had invited the Sudanese warring parties to talk in Geneva. The US administration has decided to intervene, not as a facilitator but this time as a mediator.
Co-hosted by Switzerland and Saudi Arabia, the talks scheduled for 14 August aim to put an end to the fighting in Sudan that erupted on 15 April 2023 between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) (World Economic Forum, August 9th 2024). Other countries will participate in the capacity as additional observers: the African Union, Egypt, the United Nations and the United Arab Emirates (ABC News July 24, 2024).
A senior US Official told ABC news: "We have to listen to the Sudanese people and deliver a process on a cease-fire and humanitarian aid access”. According to the tweet by the US special Envoy on the 12th of August:
“August will not end with the Sudanese going to bed hungry”.
Freedom from Want and Freedom from Fear: Civilian Protection at the Core
“Cease Fires alone will not protect lives”, Kholood Khair (statement to the UN Security Council, 7th August 2024).
The author of this article believes that to succeed in mediation efforts in Switzerland, the US government, mediators and partners at Switzerland need to observe the following:
Defend their interest in the Sudanese context and avoid previous shortcomings of involvement with the post 2019 revolution Sudan in order to plant the seeds of a stable political order. In this respect, the international players need to be steadfast in avoiding miscalculations and steering a new path in the face of facts as the there is no time for missed opportunities.
Continue with the Cease Fire talks in Switzerland irrespective of the nature and the representational level by the warring parties. All present need to affirm their obligations under International Humanitarian Law . It is important also that participating delegations commit to stop the forcible conscription of civilians to join the warring parties including the conscription of women and young people.
Ensure the immediate cession of hostilities and ensure a ban on expansion to any more regions in Sudan by the RSF and the allied militia. A ban on the continuation of aerial bombardments of civilians by SAF is to be imposed. In addition, the victimisation of civilians by both warring parties is to be prohibited and deemed as war crimes. Moreover, there need to punitive actions on the parties who violate these provisions and punitive actions on external actors who enable either side by the continuous supply of arms causing the war to metastasise.
Review past experiences in Sudan and other conflict zones in which humanitarian access has been negotiated with the belligerents on the ground irrespective of a broader ceasefire agreement.
Align the letter and the spirit of cease fire agreements to be reached. The Jeddah Declaration 11 May 2023 and inconsequential rounds of talks and a series of cease-fires failed within moments of being agreed. We believe that the demand for a halt to all hostilities and creation of safe access for humanitarian workers is both warranted and very much overdue.
Establish clear systems to monitor and guarantee the cease fire arrangements.
Establish monitoring systems in collaboration with local communities in order to achieve two functions: a) to follow up with the levels of food security and; b) to support the creation of a governance apparatus entrusted with overseeing and managing the enduring crisis by addressing the redistribution of food and medicine between regions.
Secure the agricultural season in all dimensions.
Avoid token security sector reform modes and incomplete DDR protocols.
Avoid all forms of power sharing arrangements in upcoming deals.
Avoid the split of the country between the warring parties according to present spans of control.
Removal of the warring parties from any future government configurations.
Removal of all military presence from centre of towns and cities or in civilian spaces including residential areas.
Acknowledge and work with the tried and tested community mediation and protection systems and initiatives available on the ground. In this regard, societal tracks for peace building would facilitate a more robust and a sustainable approach towards peace.
Add Conflict-Related Sexual Violence as a stand-alone designated criterion for targeted individual sanctions. The needs for protection of civilians especially women and children are paramount within Sudan, at the Sudan boarders, and beyond.
Expand the arms embargo across the country.
Reduce the rift within and between the warring parties by means of building trust.
Ensure the participation by women in all humanitarian assistance operations including the determination of needs in addition to the distribution and monitoring of humanitarian operations.
Fund the Sudanese Initiatives like Community Kitchens and EER.
Ensure the participation of women in cease fire talks, planned peace talks as well as future peace building, peace-making and peace monitoring activities.
The US and its partners need to create a mission to protect civilians.
Financing Humanitarian Assistance Programs
The outcome of the Rio+20 (https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/rio20.html) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognize that international trade plays a fundamental role in promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, creating jobs, raising incomes and enhancing welfare of peoples.
As major institutional stakeholders on trade and the SDGs issues, UNCTAD, WTO, and International Trade Center monitor trends, analyze policy and build analytical capacity for making international trade an engine for sustainable development.
The Gold Connection and International Trade
Despite the catastrophic consequences of the ongoing war, gold and other mineral resources continue to be siphoned away. At the same time, agricultural produce including Gum Arabic in addition to meat and live animals continue to be exported while more than half of the population of Sudan is facing a looming famine. Commitments on pledges for humanitarian assistance programs estimated at 2.1 billion dollars at the Paris Conference in April 2024 currently stall at around 20%.
In the pursuit of finding solutions to the dire need for financial resources, an initiative is put forward as a policy recommendation under the name: the Gold, the Coast and the Natural Resource: Sudan’s Quest for Trade, not Aid. The author first published the idea in February 2024. Since then, the idea has gained traction and is now supported by prominent advisors and experts including Professor Ahamd Hassan Al Jack. The initiative has been recently discussed by the author during participation at the UN High Level Political Forum for Sustainable Development in New York in July 2024.
Gold is currently being traded both covertly and overtly. The proceeds of this trade continue to fuel the war and the biggest part is appropriated by war lords. In order to stop the war in Sudan, the first step is to deplete the resources fuelling it.
The supporters of the initiative recommend the establishment of a funding facility of stabilisation under the administration of UNDP to finance the humanitarian assistance programs for Sudan. In partnership with the countries and companies that import gold and agricultural produce, the US and partners need to reach an agreement with traders to declare the value of their transactions in these commodities and to avail the monetary resources to the Sudan Stabilisation Fund. Fines should also be imposed on those dealing with the illicit trade in Sudan’s resources the proceeds of the fines are envisaged to add to the Sudan’s Stabilization Fund as well.
Furthermore, the US, the EU, the UK and others should free the returns on frozen assets of Sudanese individuals and sanctioned entities. They should improvise with a clear strategy engaging their global partners to use these funds in financing humanitarian assistance programs for Sudan, directly.
More importantly, global actors need to establish with immediate effect, regimes to impose fines against all perpetrators of atrocities and crimes against the country, its infrastructure and against civilians, especially the victims of rape, enslavement, torture and murder. The proceeds of these fines need to be deposited in the proposed Sudan Stabilization Fund to be used for reparations for the affected individuals.
To observe the dignity and wellbeing of Sudanese, the forum at Switzerland is urged to create a Ukraine style immigration protocol for Sudanese people.
Finally, the US and partners could work with the EU to review the Khartoum Process and compensate the Sudanese people for what they suffered because of emboldening the RSF.
Recommendations for a Political Solution
First, initiate a transparent consultation process, not with a subset, but with all Sudanese stake holders at parallel tracks with the aim to widen the franchise and demonstrate a meaningful commitment to cede authority to civilians with national competences.
Second, the unification of mediation platforms.
Third, establish a complementary diplomatic track separate to the ceasefire talks that is focused on addressing violence against civilians with targeted measures for the protection of civilians, especially women.
Fourth, the US and international partners need to refer all the processes of state and governance related issues to the Sudanese people. Issues around justice and retribution will fall in naturally therefrom.

(Edited by بكرى ابوبكر on 08-14-2024, 12:25 PM)

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