After the #IGAD attempts became convoluted and almost hit a deadlock, several discussions and preparations have begun to resuscitate the Jeddah negotiating platform to end the war in #Sudan. Before hopes soar and wishful thinking misleads the Sudanese again, we must point to some essential issues to consider for these efforts to succeed in ceasing the war.
1-Restoring the #Jeddah platform with the same old structure will be unproductive. The two mediators need to reassess the approach and structure of the negotiating platform. It is also vital to verify that both sides are serious about negotiating specific predetermined goals and that the members of then negotiating delegates from the two sides are capable of implementing what will be agreed upon. Otherwise, Will be for naught.
2-Priority should be given to reaching an agreement on mechanisms to protect civilians, establish safe corridors for their movement, and facilitate the flow of humanitarian assistance. However, the basic and fundamental rights of the Sudanese people to life, safety, and property remain non-negotiable. No party or mediator have the right to engage in negotiations regarding the looted property or residences of the Sudanese. These should be returned to their owners. Furthermore, no party or mediator should aid in the process of blackmailing the Sudanese by requiring them to sacrifice their rights and aspirations in exchange for political ambitions and demands that one of the parties pleads to be met through war.
3-Reaching a ceasefire must not be linked to any political demands or ambitions in advance. Any political process that discusses Sudanese deeply rooted problems should follow the ceasefire and take place without the participation of the parties carrying weapons in the current war, whether the army or the Rapid Support Forces. The course of any political process should also be clear in establishing in advance what is natural in the formation of any modern state. This means the necessity of structural reform of the military institution with its various branches to be under civilian political supervision, and the necessity of ending any institutional presence of the Rapid Support Forces militia with all its military, economic, and political extensions. The conditions that prevailed before the war and directly caused the crime of the outbreak of this devastating war cannot be allowed to be repeated again after the war.
4-Also, the useless niceties of signing ceasefire agreement that are not realisable should not be repeated again. Ceasefire should include clear and practical enforcement mechanisms. Any signing of a ceasefire must include agreement on clear lines of separation between forces and neutral international enforcement and monitoring mechanisms that ensure that these agreements are reflected on the ground, away from the political media outbidding and deception.