{"id":2458,"date":"2023-12-05T10:31:31","date_gmt":"2023-12-05T10:31:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/africansforthehorn.org\/?p=2458"},"modified":"2023-12-05T12:18:13","modified_gmt":"2023-12-05T12:18:13","slug":"aus-establishment-of-a-high-level-panel-on-sudan-welcomed-but-swift-action-is-needed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/africansforthehorn.org\/aus-establishment-of-a-high-level-panel-on-sudan-welcomed-but-swift-action-is-needed\/","title":{"rendered":"AU\u2019s Establishment of a High-Level Panel on Sudan Welcomed, but Swift Action is Needed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

December 5, 2023<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u201cI believe the drafters of the Constitutive Act anticipated scenarios similar to the one in Sudan when they drafted article 4(h). Africans cannot stand by and continue to watch atrocities being committed in Sudan without taking all necessary measures to stop them.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Shuvai Nyoni \u2013 Executive Director, the African Leadership Centre (ALC)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Africans for the Horn of Africa (Af4HA) welcomes the decision adopted by Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 1185th<\/sup> meeting held at the Ministerial level on the Situation in Sudan on 15 November 2023 to accelerate the implementation of the AU\u2019s Roadmap for the Resolution of the Conflict in Sudan and to establish a High-Level Ad hoc Panel on Sudan, that will work with all the Sudanese stakeholders including women and youth, in order to ensure an all-inclusive process towards this civilian-led political transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a positive step, but it must be followed through with action to ensure meaningful and inclusive participation of Sudanese citizens, especially women and youth at all levels of peace processes. \u201cWe have seen a lot of positive rhetoric from the AU<\/em><\/strong>,\u201d said Af4HA spokesperson Dismas Nkunda, \u201cbut the people of Sudan need more than words, they need concrete action to end the war devastating their lives and country<\/em><\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While we recognise and appreciate the efforts of the AU and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) on the situation in Sudan, we note that these efforts have recently waned. Between May 2023 and 15 November 2023, the AU PSC had neither met nor issued a communique on the situation in Sudan. This is unacceptable in light of the conflict\u2019s terrible toll on the Sudanese people. According to the UN, Sudan is \u201cnow the world\u2019s largest displacement crisis.\u201d More than 10,000 people have lost their lives, 12,000 have been injured, and 6.24 million people have been displaced. An estimated 24.7 million people (more than half of the population) need humanitarian aid and protection. Women have borne the brunt of the war which has been waged in their homes and on their very bodies. Lack of sexual and reproductive health services has grossly increased maternal mortality with women dying from what ought to be a live giving process. All these violations have negatively affected the psychological well-being of Sudanese civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor the last 10 years, African Member States have committed to building \u2018a stable and peaceful Africa\u2019 and to making peace a reality for all our peoples and rid[ding] the continent of wars\u2019. AU Member States must demonstrate a real commitment to this ideal by utilising their vast resources to bring the fighting in Sudan to an end.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don Deya – CEO Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cost of inaction is dire. Not only will inaction continue to undermine the humanitarian situation in Sudan, it will accelerate the spread of conflict across the region. The AU must, therefore, redouble its efforts, working closely with IGAD, to resolve the conflict:<\/p>\n\n\n\n