When Will the Mother of Sudanese Wars Cease?
Faisal Al-Baqer
Today, we bid farewell to the year 2023 and welcome the new year, 2024, while our people continue to seek sustainable peace. When will the mother of Sudanese wars, this disastrous militia war, come to an end?
First Orbit:
"He who knows war does not approach its grave; the wind blows, and the sulfur ignites. War is fire, and once its flames are ablaze, no one pays attention. We, the peoples, are its victims. Alas, we are exhausted, and the country is lost without us." - Naguib Mahfouz
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I write today at noon on Sunday, December 31, 2023, the last day of this year that witnessed the eruption of the "Mother of Sudanese Wars." This catastrophic "militia" war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces is a senseless and losing war. It began with its initial sparks in Khartoum on Saturday, April 15, 2023. Its malicious virus spread, and its sinister cycle reached the states of Darfur, then Kordofan, and finally, White Nile and Gezira, with the center in Medani. This happened amidst legitimate expectations and concerns that it would expand further to encompass all of Sennar State. The state witnessed intense battles between the warring parties on the outskirts and entrances of Sennar City, resulting in a new wave of displacement towards the state capital, Singa, and from there to the cities of Dinder and Damazin, along with other towns and villages in Sennar State, all now entirely threatened by the destructive war.
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According to the latest reliable statistics from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration, among other highly credible international organizations, the recent updates indicate that the total number of "internally displaced" in Sudan has reached 7,117,888. The count of refugees, both male and female, and asylum seekers "outside Sudans borders" amounted to 1,382,748 as of December 25, 2023. The numbers of displacement and refuge continue to increase as the war escalates. Recently, mutual shelling between the warring parties (the army and Rapid Support Forces) has intensified in Khartoum and the city of Nyala in South Darfur.
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There are still objective concerns on the distant horizon—God forbid—of the potential expansion of the war to the states of Al-Qadarif and Kassala. These states, once considered safe havens for those fleeing the ravages of the destructive war, might not survive if the catastrophic "militia" war continues to ravage lives, the nations resources, and the people. There are still indicators and evidence suggesting that the fields and spaces of this cursed war may extend further in the coming year of 2024 unless the unbridled warhorse is restrained.
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As we prepare to enter the new year of 2024 in this detestable war climate that has harmed the country and its people since April 15, 2023, we live under its gloomy atmosphere. The military intelligence has initiated and continues widespread arrest campaigns targeting activists from the broad civil society. Among those targeted are defenders of human rights, members of resistance committees, symbols of political parties, and all voices that have openly opposed the war, called for its cessation, and opposed conscription and mobilization for war. In return, no region entered by the Rapid Support Forces has been spared from looting, killing, robberies, and all human rights violations. What is urgently needed is to stop all human rights violations, release the detainees, reveal the whereabouts of forcibly disappeared individuals, as all these violations against civilians constitute crimes against humanity and war crimes. International investigations into these crimes should be expedited, and the perpetrators must be held accountable, whether time passes or not, as they never fall into the lapses of forgetfulness or prescription.
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Tomorrow, Monday, January 1, 2024, marks the beginning of the new year, an "exceptional" year according to the readings and calculations of astronomers and geophysicists. It is a "leap year," occurring once every four years. A leap year in the Gregorian solar calendar consists of 366 days, unlike the regular years with 365 days. The last leap year was in 2020, and the next one will be in 2028. The term "leap year" is derived from the Roman Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar, who led the Roman armies in the civil wars of Gaul and later became the ruler of Rome from 49 BC until his assassination on March 15, 44 BC. Perhaps in the assassination of Julius Caesar, there is a profound historical lesson for leaders (mad ones) who lead their people into destructive wars, thinking in vain that they will endure indefinitely, living shielded from the vicissitudes of fate or "assassination," provided they subdue their people with the force of iron and fire. History, ancient and contemporary wars, has proven the folly of such leaders. Will the oppressed tyrants learn?
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In this inflamed war climate, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo "Hemeti," the leader of the Rapid Support Forces, surprised both his supporters and opponents, as well as many observers, by appearing in Uganda with President Yoweri Museveni. He repeated the surprise the next day by arriving in Ethiopia and meeting with its leadership, apologizing for "technical reasons," as his advisers stated, for not attending the officially announced meeting with his "rival," General Burhan, the army commander. This meeting, on which much hope (particularly from the Mediation Organization) is pinned for a breakthrough in the ongoing and expanding war vertically and horizontally between the two generals. The mediation continues to strive hard to achieve the success of their efforts in a meeting between the two men in January 2024, without confirming whether the expected meeting will take place in the near future.
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Before sending this article to publishing platforms, General Hemeti throws the third surprise by arriving in Djibouti on the afternoon of December 31, 2023, and meeting with its President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh. This happens amid the confusing and tangled war scene, while people await the army commander to deliver his final statement on the possibility of the two men meeting. Meanwhile, the propaganda war and military propaganda continue between the two parties on old and new media platforms, including social media. Regardless of the seriousness of the pressures exerted to achieve the meeting of the two men, this openly armed conflict will produce more humanitarian tragedies, with thousands, if not millions, of civilians becoming victims.
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As we bid farewell to the year 2023 with sadness and pain and welcome the new year of 2024, holding onto justified optimism and hope, the great wish of our people remains that the catastrophic "militia" war ceases. May peace prevail throughout our beloved country, and may the slogans of the glorious December 2018 revolution (freedom, peace, and justice) be realized across the entire Sudanese territory. Surely, the day will come when the headlines read, "The cities of Sudan rise up" and "The people of Sudan triumph." This is not new or strange to our great people, a peace-loving and heroic nation that has overcome dictatorships and created miracles. Welcome to the leap year of 2024, a year for ending war and achieving sustainable peace.
Final Note:
"They said... the war will end, and leaders will shake hands, yet that old woman still waits for her martyred son, that young girl waits for her beloved husband, and those children wait for their heroic father. We dont know who sold the homeland, but weve seen those who paid the price!" - Mahmoud Darwish
faisal.elbagir@gmail.com
