SHRN initiative to silence guns in Sudan
A call to transform the Sudanese Armed Forces’ military victories in central Sudan into an opportunity to negotiate a ceasefire throughout Sudan.
The war in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces is approaching its third year. The results include irreparable loss of lives, and tens of thousands have been wounded. Nearly one-third of Sudan’s population was forced to flee their homes and become either Internally Displaced or asylum seekers. Millions of people are on the brink of famine, along with many other tragedies that cannot be confined. It’s a critical time for the commanders of the armed forces and those of the Rapid Support Forces to move toward avoiding more lives lost and to stop the destruction of their country’s human and material capabilities. It’s time for the guns to shut up and the voice of wisdom to rise.
The Sudan Human Rights Network, in its advocacy, does not lose sight of its principle against impunity for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. In this call, Sudan Human Rights aims to halt the continued destruction of Sudan’s human and material capabilities and to end the vicious cycle of violence, famine, and disease. We strive to silence the guns as a necessary phase of peacemaking, followed by peacekeeping and peacebuilding phases while addressing the root causes of war.
The urgent call to negotiate to silence the guns in all of Sudan stems from the possibility of transforming the crisis into an opportunity by revisiting and seeking out what benefits our societies and opens the door to the future. All wars have ended at the negotiating table, and even complete surrender is negotiated with the least possible losses. To consider and decide on this imperative and urgent matter requires a great deal of wisdom and courage on the part of the leaders of both parties, as well as a greater sense of responsibility towards society and the diverse people of Sudan. We urge the parties to broaden their understanding of humanity and to sit directly at the negotiating table. This step would close the door to those foreign players’ interventions that contributed to the widening of the war. On the other hand, we welcome international efforts with good intentions to help create a single negotiating platform that leads to a ceasefire agreement and works towards building a unified national army. The sponsors of the cease-fire negotiations are expected to serve as guarantors of the ceasefire agreement and participate in Sudan’s reconstruction and peacebuilding efforts.
Sudan Human Rights Network calls on Sudanese political entities, community leaders, women, and youth to raise their voices in demanding peace, honoring one another, and renouncing hate speech that provokes ethnic strife and fuels conflict.