A section of Sudanese politicians who are opposed to the ongoing war between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been mulling setting up a government in exile. However, U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello, who recently visited Port Sudan, says the move would be disastrous and lead to long-term war.
In an exclusive interview with Radio Tamazuj, the envoy also reveals that over the last year, the RSF has been willing to come to various peace tables and participate but the same willingness has not been seen from the SAF. He says both sides are momentarily pursuing military offensives which is unfortunate because innocent Sudanese are paying a heavy price.
Find below the edited excerpts:
Q: How do you evaluate your recent trip to Sudan?
A: It was very fruitful. We have been pushing very hard over the last few months to open up humanitarian access to all 18 states of Sudan. We have made a great deal of progress, we are seeing a significant increase and more food and medicine reaching areas including south Kordofan, parts of Darfur, and parts of Khartoum.
We have seen the resumption of some humanitarian flights in the areas where people have been seeing death from Cholera and other horrific situations. As we said, when we saw significant increases in humanitarian access it meant that tributes happen and it was an honor to be able to meet with a few folks there.
Q: What did you discuss with General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the de facto leader of Sudan, and who else did you meet during your visit?
A: We have been able to continue important conversations about how we end this war, how we protect civilians from the horrific atrocities we have seen, and how we make sure that food and medicine are guaranteed to all Sudanese inside and outside Sudan.
We have made more progress on the emergency humanitarian aid front than we have on the diplomatic front. But we still believe this war can end and can end soon if we commit the parties to do so.
Q: The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) insists on winning the war militarily. Did you discuss ways of ending the conflict through peaceful means?
A: Yes. We believe that the only way to end this war is through negotiation and a civilian transition. We disagree with the insistence that it can be won militarily and I think we have seen in the last few months that even a won battle, maybe won briefly you can see those gains lost not long afterward.
We have seen more weapons coming into the country which we think is only fueling this conflict. We are working at the United Nations and elsewhere on enforcing the Darfur arms embargo. We believe ultimately that supporting the aspiration of the Sudanese people towards inclusive democracy is the path towards peace.
Q: What is the stand of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on peaceful mediation?
A: Generally, over the last year the Rapid Support Forces has been willing to come to various peace tables and participate. Unfortunately, we are not seeing the same willingness from SAF in most cases. But at this point, both sides are pursuing military offensives and we are seeing unfortunately that the price for that is paid by the Sudanese civilians. Including the horrific killing of what appeared to be over 200 civilians yesterday from an airdrop. We need this to end and we need the people to have their dreams and security back.
Q: The war seems to be escalating, what is the USA going to do about this?
A: Well, the United States has been leading the way on not just being the bigger donor of food and medicine into the country and trying to make sure that is getting to north, south, east, and west, but we have also been issuing sanctions on the people that are persecuting this war. Those that are supplying weapons into this war, those that have committed atrocities like rape and siege in El Fasher and we will continue to raise those causes and work with our partners who can do that.
We have been of course part of the Jeddah process and we have been able to get the peace deal we want. But we are continuing to provide that opportunity to get the path to peace.
And also the United States has been a major supporter of young people and women who have been showing so much courage in this war. Creative ways to keep kitchens open, keep pharmacies open. And we will want to stand with Sudanese people as we have done in this horrific period.
Q: Many observers and organizations have been calling for an intervention force to protect civilians. Is this option on the table?
A: Right now we don’t see a political will at the United Nations and the African Union for what you might think of as an intervention force. However, the right of civilians to be protected exists in international humanitarian law. So it is an obligation that exists on both parties and both parties committed to in the Jeddah Declaration.
Both SAF and the RSF need to follow that basic humanitarian law and we will continue to sanction those who violate that and demand accountability for these horrific atrocities.
Q: Do you think the sanction is working?
A: Sanction is to be part of the broader strategy and that is what we tried to do. We believe that the path forward is to bring the parties together, restore the civilian transition that was robbed from the Sudanese people and rebuild a kind of unity that is vital to the Sudanese people. So, we do think sanction is one part of showing that there is going to be cost and consequences for those who murder civilians and use rape and starvation as a weapon of war and we need others to join us and raise this of course.
I think there are times where we have been able to help get border crossings open, get food and medicine in places where people are starving and we are going to keep using the tools that we have to try to protect the dignity of those Sudanese people.
Q: Some opposition groups are waving the flag of setting up a government in exile. What is your take on this?
A: We think that would be a disaster step. If the RSF would have some sort of government over other parts of Sudan, moving backward from efforts to build a kind of unity civilian transition that is working to bring this war to an end. We have clearly communicated to those actors that this would be a bad move. We appreciate that many of those we have approached to do, including many inside Khartoum, have refused to do so. We will continue to monitor any steps taken in that direction that we think will move the country closely towards partition and make this a permanent war for many years.