Sudan Aid Talks Stall As Army, SPLM-N Clash Over Scope

(MENAFN- Daily News Egypt) Negotiations between the Sudanese army and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) over humanitarian aid delivery to conflict-affected areas have stalled, with a resumption scheduled for Saturday. The talks, held in Juba under the auspices of the South Sudanese government, aim to cease hostilities and facilitate aid access to South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

Gatiqa Amuga Delman, a spokesperson for the SPLM-N delegation, told the Arab World Press Agency (AWP) that the Sudanese army is insisting on limiting aid delivery to three states: West and South Kordofan, and Blue Nile. However, the SPLM-N is demanding aid be delivered to all areas of Sudan without bias and simultaneously, citing UN reports of dire humanitarian conditions in Khartoum, Gezira state, and Darfur, in addition to South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

“In principle, the SPLM-N rejects solutions based on fragmentation, and the principles of international humanitarian law prohibit the involvement of political positions in humanitarian issues,” Delman said.

Earlier in May, Lieutenant General Shams El Din Kabashi, a member of Sudan's Sovereign Council and deputy commander of the Sudanese army agreed with SPLM-N leader Abdelaziz Al-Hilu to facilitate immediate aid delivery to areas controlled by both the government and the movement.

However, ongoing fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, as well as restrictions imposed by both warring parties, have hampered aid delivery efforts.

The state of South Kordofan, bordering South Sudan, has been a site of fierce battles between the army and the SPLM-N, which controls large parts of the state. The clashes, which broke out in mid-April last year, have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the region.

On Thursday, negotiations began in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, between the Sudanese army and the SPLM-N, under the auspices of the South Sudanese government, intending to stop hostilities between the two sides and deliver humanitarian aid to the regions of South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

The ongoing conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces militias, as well as restrictions imposed by both warring parties, has hampered efforts to deliver aid to millions facing famine.

Meanwhile, the Sudan Liberation Forces Alliance (SLFA) announced on Saturday the dismissal of El Tahir Hajar from the movement's leadership, citing allegations of high treason due to his support for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF is currently engaged in conflict with the Sudanese army and its allied armed movements.

In a statement released on Facebook, the SLFA, a signatory to the Juba Peace Agreement, accused Hajar of“the crime of high treason by supporting the rebel Rapid Support Forces in their war against the Sudanese people, which is the reason for his dismissal from the Transitional Sovereign Council.”

The statement further accused Hajar of“financial corruption and acting unilaterally in many situations, including forming alliances and taking political positions without respecting the movement's constitution.”

This development follows an earlier incident in April when the SLFA's General Command rejected Hajar's decision to withdraw from the joint force of armed struggle movements in the Darfur region. Hajar had claimed that some movements within the force had abandoned neutrality and aligned with the army, making it impossible for the joint force to fulfil its mandate of protecting civilians in the region.

The joint force was established by armed movements in Darfur after the outbreak of conflict between the army and the RSF in April 2023. The SLFA has now formed a committee to hold Hajar accountable for his actions.

MENAFN18052024000153011029ID1108230034