One of lime and one of sand. One of truce and another of gunpowder. This is how the war in Sudan works. While the representatives of the opposing sides they met in jeddah (Saudi Arabia) to discuss an agreement that benefits the civilian population and paves the way for peace, shelling and shooting and looting continue in certain areas of the country. Just minutes after a treaty was signed in the Saudi city, a first step applauded by the United States and the Arab community, the fighting continued as if paper were something on fire, like a cartridge.
The treaty, signed on May 11, has seven points that In summary terms they would be:
- Facilitate the creation of humanitarian corridors so that civilians can escape from the fighting areas.
- A commitment by respect human rights (This section mentions the distinction between civilians and combatants, avoiding the use of civilian shields, suppressing looting, protecting public facilities and medical personnel, maintaining the right of civilians to circulate on bridges and roads, not using children soldier, not commit torture and grant access to humanitarian organizations to check the status of the prisoners).
- Allow humanitarian organizations access those who do not fight to help them.
- reaffirm your commitment with what was agreed above.
- Coordinate with the Red Cross burials and sanitary actions.
- Guarantee that the troops under his command will comply with the principles of international right.
- Commit to prioritizing peace talks that lead to a temporary ceasefire.
A full version in English can be accessed through the US Department of State website.
But less than 24 hours after the signing of the treaty, the RSF denounced that the regular army carried out “brutal airstrikes against the civilian population, residential areas and critical infrastructure”. Witnesses on the ground have corroborated this information. In the same statement they reaffirmed their determination to comply with human rights and their mission to “defend the people”, in which they accused members of the regime of former dictator Omar al-Bashir of being the ones who organized the latest attacks against the civilian population.
Empty promises
The regular army for its part sent another communiqué in which it prohibited the citizens of the cities affected by the fighting from using motorcycles. According to the letter, RSF paramilitaries they use these vehicles to transport themselves more quickly, and any individual who is seen riding a motorcycle will be shot down starting this week without prior notice. There remained the right of civilians to move freely on public roads. Likewise, They accused the RSF of using violence against the local population and of continuing their campaign of looting against private property.
The flames in Khartoum grow in intensity. UNICEF announced this Friday that a factory intended to produce food for malnourished children has been set on fire during the fighting. Each of the truces agreed between both sides have been systematically violated, without exception. But these are events that do not make the United Nations lose hope. Volker Perthes, special representative for Sudan, announced this Friday in Genoa that “the most important thing is to understand that [este tratado] was signed last night and that both parties have committed to continue the talks.”
One of lime and one of sand. The situation in Sudan develops like this. While Khartoum and its neighboring cities have become the epicenter of the fighting, the northern and eastern regions are experiencing a tense calm.. A BBC journalist who had to flee the country along with his family narrated how normality began to appear as the Egyptian border approached, a thousand kilometers from the capital; until all traces of war, including military controls, disappeared.
With regard to the contradictory information that has been indicating for several weeks that Wagner mercenaries are participating in the fighting (despite Yevgeny Prigozhin’s denial), The troops commanded by General al Burhan announced “to be prepared” for the deportation of “foreign mercenaries”. One of lime and another of sand in Sudan, maybe. But the saying never confirms how much of each is poured with each scoopful.
