Open letter to the civilian forces in Addis Ababa
Wael Mahjoub
• Any Sudanese effort aimed at stopping the war and cutting off the path to killing, displacement, emigration, death by hunger, and due to a lack of medication, as well as the sabotage and destruction facing the nation, is an effort that deserves appreciation. It responds to the peoples urgent and pressing demands, the people who have been suffering for seven months, to the point where the night and day have become equally horrifying due to the atrocities of this war.
• From this broad perspective, it is essential to emphasize, first and foremost, the importance of the meetings of the democratic civil forces that start today in Addis Ababa. These meetings represent the first real effort to unite the Sudanese initiatives that have been proposed during the past period to stop the war. These initiatives represent the culmination of the thinking and dialogues of various Sudanese groups, including experts, specialists, and representatives from different segments both inside and outside Sudan.
• Representatives of the National Mechanism Initiative to Support Civil Democratic Transformation and Stop the War, the Civil Forces Coalition for Stopping the War and Restoring Democracy The Declaration of Principles Group, Women Against War, Experts Against War, Sudan Platform for Peace, Development, and Democracy, and representatives of peace initiatives in the east, Darfur, and Blue Nile, are participating in these meetings. These are all national initiatives that presented visions to stop the war and address its issues.
• However, to ensure that the civil forces effort is not just pouring old wine into new bottles, it is crucial to remember that most of the participating forces, whether professional bodies, trade unions, resistance committees, or organizations, are in some way or another related to the Forces of Freedom and Change. They have been involved and supportive of many of its positions, signed its statements and memorandums. There are significant and active forces outside the meeting room that cannot be overlooked in any collective effort to stop the war, nor in shaping the equations that follow, unless we are to continue on the same path of disputes, which is a path that cannot be taken given the wars conditions and the resulting disintegration and collapse of the state.
• The Radical Change Bloc, along with its resistance committees, whose membership has been engaged in humanitarian work since the outbreak of the war, is at the forefront of these forces. They have been addressing the peoples needs in terms of food, drink, treatment, and providing shelter for those displaced and affected by the war. This tremendous effort has exposed some of them to targeting, killings, arrests, and pursuit. There are also trade unions that are still distant from this movement, as well as political forces, notably the Communist and Baath parties.
• This stage requires a broad national dialogue, and it cannot be overcome with the same pre-war mentality by all parties of the civil political arena. Continuing on the same path of polarization and fragmentation, which has been and still is the approach of the various forces, is not the solution. We all need to find a different path that avoids the mistakes and failures of the past.
• There is still hope that the Addis Ababa meetings will lead to decisions to start a dialogue with forces outside of these meetings and try to reconcile the different visions for stopping the war. This also includes the political process related to ending military rule, laying the groundwork for justice, accountability, and non-impunity, and solving the dilemma of multiple armies, armed movements, and militias, eventually leading to a single national army for the country, free from the pettiness of political loyalties and ideological biases.
• It is natural, given the political polarization that has been witnessed for years, for there to be doubts and reservations about these meetings due to their connection with the Forces of Freedom and Change. However, this should be met with openness to dialogue with others by the civil forces. They should publish the work and discussions of these meetings and make them accessible to the public. They should also have the courage to engage with those who are reserved, disagreeing, or even rejecting, as long as the efforts are sincere for the sake of the nation. The goal is to create a Sudanese unity that cuts off the path to the continuation of the war and puts an end to the projects of hijacking and militarizing the state or dragging it back into the darkness of the National Salvation regime and its supporters.
