Sudan: top military leaders move to Darfur to re-impose stability

Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - Following weeks of unrest and inter-communal fighting in the Darfur region, the Khartoum government has massively moved in to quell the precarious situation from spelling into a full time war taking the region back to 2004, the peak of the two decades conflict.

The United Nations, local and international NGOS and local media have been crying out about the escalation of daily killing of civilians, the multitudes of armies in the region and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians for as many times in the region.

It was clear that these were clear signs that the region was on the brink of disintegration and war, this time involving the main towns and neighboring rural areas.

“Since mid-November (2021), ongoing violence, building on seasonal inter-communal conflict over natural resources in West, Central and North Darfur states have led to the primary displacement of thousands of people and secondary displacement of internally displaced persons (IDPs), within Darfur and across the Sudanese border to Chad.”

The UN OCHA has recently said in a report about the current situation in Darfur.

In the past 15 years, the conflict in Darfur was confined to rural areas, away from the main urban town. It involved nomads and farmers disputing over grazing and water points.

Since the fall of Omar Bashir (2019) and the conclusion of Juba Accords (2020), the former rebel movements, as part of the security arrangements, have been allowed to move some of their forces into the urban areas, including the main towns of El Fashir, Nyala, Genaina, and Khartoum.

The UN drew a bleak picture about the situation there, saying that, coupled with a poor rainy season, and pest infestation, conflict had disrupted the farming season for many farmers, including IDPs based in camps in Geneina town who are concerned that they will have a total failure of their harvest.

In addition, transhumance—the seasonal movements of pastoralists with their livestock for pasture—has started early this year affecting harvests, which have just started.

Tensions between communities remain high in Kereneik, Geneina and Jebel Moon localities as the root causes of the conflict remain unresolved.

The UN said about 6.2 million people (IDPs, returnees, refugees and vulnerable residents) need humanitarian assistance in the Darfur region in 2022, according to the 2022 Sudan Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO). In addition, about 1.5 million people are in crisis and above levels of food security between October 2021 and February 2022, according to the latest Sudan Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis.

In Khartoum, the government is under huge pressure from the UN, the United States and the west, as well as internal demonstrations and fragile security.

It is also being accused of having failed to implement the security arrangements stipulated in the Juba 2021 peace agreement.  

Troops from different movements who signed the deal in Juba under the AU and IGAD auspices have not been integrated into the main stream army.

Last week, the situation in Darfur reached a turning point when civilians inside the main towns were, in a couple of incidents, abducted or killed, sending a message that the situation was now moving to the main towns and that Khartoum, by default, would follow suit.

But on Tuesday the Sudanese army top commander-cum-President of the Sovereign Council, Lieutenant General Abdul Fatah Al-Burhan, accompanied by his deputy in the Council and leader of the second strongest armed group in the country, Major General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, moved to Darfur’s Fashir town.

The two leaders spent two days in the regional town, near the borders with Chad and Libya, to nip in the bud the brewing situation of communal tension, huge armed movement, and the spillover of the developments in Khartoum to the region.

Burhan, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces, chaired a meeting, during his two day stay in the field in Darfur, of the Permanent Cease-fire Committee.

The meetings reviewed the security situation on the ground, according to the official media. Burhan’s meetings also brought together acting governors of the five states in Darfur and the paramount governor of the Darfur region as well as leaders of the main former rebel armed groups.

The committee of the Joint Supreme Council for Security Arrangements, following two days of meeting in Darfur has taken a number of decisions which “will return the situation to normal”, the official media contended, saying these decisions were in fact considered “the actual launch of implementing  the Juba 2021 security arrangements clause".

The leaders of the government and rebel movements signatories of the Juba accord met  and discussed implementation of the security arrangement including how to monitor the implementation of the Juba Peace accord  and agreed on the details for “ the formation of a joint force to protect citizens”.

Burhan was quoted by the official media as saying the recent developments in Darfur required moving in to “take positive and decisive steps in implementing security arrangements”.

He argued that the “stumbling in the implementation of security arrangements” was due to “some logistical challenges”, noting that “this delay has harmed the peace process and the citizens of Darfur and Sudan as a whole”.

He announced that the different stakeholders had agreed “to vacate all the towns of elements of the armed struggle movements”.

He said this would be effected “within a week” and that these forces would be stationed at some specific assembly points, away from urban centers.

Burhan was quoted as warning in a statement in Darfur prior to his return to Khartoum late Wednesday against any acts of sabotage by some armed groups, other than those who have signed the Juba peace deal accusing them of seeking to undermine the peace process and fuel chaos.

Two major rebel movements, the Sudan Liberation Movement- Abdul Wahid Nor and the Sudan People’s liberation Movement led by Abdul Aziz Hilo, have not signed the Juba peace deal 2021.

They argued that, though the cabinet at the time was civilian led and the government in general was hybrid, still the lack of legislature to ratify the accords was reason enough, among others, for them stay away.

In January Burhan renewed for six months ceasefire in all the areas under the control of the two movements.

During Burhan and his senior staffers to the region tangible points were reached including renaming the task force for the security forces and protection of civilians, re-locating the armed elements of the former rebel movements to areas outside the cities, the exit of the Tamazuj movement from the main cities, launching campaigns to collect unlicensed arms and crack down on unruly conduct within the region by any elements related to armed groups and forces.

In Fashir, Burhan was further reported in the official media as renewing the government commitment to cooperate and coordinate with the leaders of the armed movement signatories of the Juba Peace Accord and to “work together to restore security and stability to Darfur”.

-0-PANA MO/RA 3Feb2022