African Union condemns ongoing violence and maintains Sudan membership suspension News
Wang Guansen for Xinhua, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
African Union condemns ongoing violence and maintains Sudan membership suspension

The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) decided Thursday to maintain its position on Sudan’s membership suspension, and identified key steps towards peace.

The PSC stressed the severe humanitarian crisis in the country, citing starvation, systematic killings, and mass displacement of civilians, as well as the targeting of particular ethnic groups and the destruction of infrastructure. In Article 4 of its communiqué, the PSC outlined the core values the AU seeks to promote moving forward, stating that the PSC:

Demands prioritization of the supreme interests of Sudan; and calls for an expeditious and full restoration of a democratically elected and civilian-led government in line with the AU Instruments and Decisions; and also calls for the respect and prioritization of the interest of Sudanese citizens by giving peace a chance.

The PSC also endorsed the Sudanese National Initiative for Peace, a plan put forward by transitional Prime Minister Kamil Idris that includes a ceasefire monitored by the UN, the African Union, and the Arab League; the withdrawal of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary network from areas it has occupied; and a timetable for disarming the RSF forces.

The PSC also condemned external interference, calling for proper implementation of a 2024 communiqué. This will require the Sub-Committee on Sanctions to work with intelligence services to identify any state or non-state actor that is offering military, financial or political support to the warring groups, and determine how to prevent further external fuel to the violence.

Finally, the council “signalled a shift in the diplomatic landscape” by welcoming the Sudanese Transitional Government to return to Khartoum, the permanent capital of Sudan. In Article 17, the PSC called this a “significant step towards restoring and preserving public administrative services and the functioning of federal state institutions to better serve the Sudanese people.”

Sudanese Foreign Minister Muhi al-Din Salem Ahmed addressed the PSC ahead of its decision, renewing a request for the AU to end the suspension. He told the council that “[w]ar is not our goal and we will continue to seek peace.” He reminded the PSC that his country is a founding member of the AU, asserting that “[e]nding the suspension of the Sudan’s membership would benefit Africa.”

Sudanese civil groups, led by former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, have made statements against the Idris Peace Plan, particularly because of Idris’ instalment by the military. The coalition argues that backing his solution “contradicts AU protocols that prioritize negotiated settlements over military-centric solutions.”

Sudan’s membership has been suspended since October 2021 after the military-led Transitional Sovereignty Council removed the Hamdok government. The current conflict in Sudan between the RSF and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) began in April 2023. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk recently reported that there is only worse to come unless the international community acts now, specifically by extending an existing arms embargo over the whole country.

The PSC met as part of the 39th AU Summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, beginning on Wednesday and ending on Sunday. Experts call the summit a “narrow but critical window” to reset the AU approach and take decisive action regarding Sudan’s crisis.

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