Sudan in the Agenda of the Arab Summit… A Priority in Discourse But a Challenge in Resolution

Cairo- Sudanhorizon-Sabah Mousa

The 34th Arab summit will be held in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on Saturday, at a time when the Arab region is facing existential challenges that threaten its security, peace, and stability, with the war in Sudan being one of the most important topics on the agenda to be discussed at this summit.
– Supporting Peace

The Sudanese Undersecretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Hussein Al-Amin Al-Fadl, is heading the Sudanese delegation participating in the meetings of the Arab League Council at the level of Foreign Ministers, which is the meeting concerned with preparing for the political and economic summits.
The meeting adopted the item of supporting peace and development in Sudan, which included affirming solidarity with Sudan and the Sudanese people in their pursuit to secure their resources and protect their land and vital infrastructure, preserve their sovereignty and independence, and their territorial integrity, as well as rejecting interference in their affairs and enhancing their efforts to maintain their national institutions and prevent their collapse.
The council affirmed that the security of Sudan is an integral part of Arab national security, underling the importance of the role of the Arab League in defending the unity of all member states, their safety, and stability.
The council called on all Arab countries and organizations to provide humanitarian and development support and to call for a ceasefire in accordance with the Jeddah Declaration.
It also discussed the possibility of resuming the Jeddah track and urged the Arab contact group, composed of the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Egypt, along with the Secretary-General of the Arab League, to continue their good office aimed at finding solutions that meet the aspirations of the Sudanese people in achieving stability and development

– Preserving Institutions

For his part, Ambassador Hussein Al-Amin Al-Fadel confirmed that the meeting voiced full solidarity with Sudan, both government and people, stressing that Sudan called on the council to emphasize the importance of preserving state institutions and preventing their collapse.
He noted that he briefed the Arab foreign ministers on the reality of the situation in the country and the humanitarian and developmental efforts being exerted to strengthen the response to various pending challenges, expressing Sudan’s appreciation for the ongoing supportive Arab positions, confirming that Sudan is always keen to enhance its engagement with the Arab League and its various institutions, especially in light of the reconstruction phase that the country is anticipating.

– A critical time

The Arab Summit meetings in Baghdad come at a time when Sudan is undergoing a precarious situation, with the war continuing for more than two years, accompanied by further violations and crimes committed by the Rapid Support Forces militias against the Sudanese people, destroying its institutions and vital services, with an increase in the militia’s supply of weapons and logistical support for the war, including the provision of drones that targeted vital resources of the Sudanese people such as electricity, fuel depots, and water stations, and destroying the country’s infrastructure, posing a significant challenge to feeding and sustaining the war, and threatening the stability and safety of Sudan.
To what extent can this summit achieve a breakthrough in the Sudanese crisis, and how successful has Sudanese diplomacy been in presenting its case to this important Arab forum? What is expected from the outcomes of this summit in light of the presence of popular Sudanese voices calling for withdrawal from the League?

– It is difficult and Complicated
A few days ago, the Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ambassador Hossam Zaki, described Sudan’s severing of relations with the UAE as a difficult and complicated issue.
Zaki said in press statements that this issue may not impact the work of the Arab League in general, but it will certainly affect the smoothness of work when addressing the crisis in Sudan given the differing positions.
He pointed out that there are Arab efforts at both the level of the League and bilaterally, aimed at mending the fences between Sudan and the UAE without encroaching on the interests of either party, noting that these efforts have not yet achieved the desired success.

Regarding the impact of decisions and the criticisms directed at the strength and influence of Arab League decisions, Zaki stated that there is a lack of awareness about the many roles that the Arab League plays beyond politics, explaining that this extensive Arab effort cannot be reduced to just the political realm, specifically the Palestinian issue.
He indicated that everyone ties the League’s role to its success in resolving the Palestinian issue and added, ‘I am against the self-flagellation approach; it is easy to burden ourselves with all the world’s sins, but that is neither necessary nor helpful for our progress.’
On the impact of Arab-Arab disagreements on the strength of the League’s decisions,
Ambassador Hossam Zaki confirmed that any international organization can sometimes have differences in visions among its members, pointing out that what is important here is to neutralize this disagreement away from the Arab League and its general agenda so that it is not negatively affected, which is what the League is trying to do.
– Sudan Does Not Need
As for Khaled Mohamed Ali, the deputy editor-in-chief of Al-Subbu’ newspaper in Egypt, he confirmed that Sudan does not need much effort to present what it is experiencing to the Arab League amid the clear international condemnations of the Rapid Support Forces regarding what they have committed against civilians and the destruction of infrastructure.
Ali told Sudanhorizon that the actions of the militia against civilians threaten people’s lives and amount to war crimes against the Sudanese people, adding that this war, which aims to change the original demographic structure and replace it with foreign fighters and mercenaries, has become clear to the entire world.
He added that Sudan is not required to make great efforts to present its case at the Arab Summit, asserting that the League should be held accountable to fulfill its role according to its founding statement, noting that the League had clearly condemned in previous resolutions attempts of external aggression against Sudan.
He said that this matter has become today clearer with the militia’s destruction of all vital facilities in the country, adding that the position of the Arab League should keep up with this dangerous development in the war, going beyond mere condemnation, and making supportive decisions for Sudan while approaching a boycott of countries that attempt aggression against Sudan.
He emphasized that a decisive decision is necessary, and the Egyptian expert on Sudanese affairs stressed that without a decisive decision from the league to boycott those countries that aid in the destruction of Sudan and the killing of its people, no other decision will have value. He noted that Sudan’s existence is threatened, with colonial forces allying with internal agents in its destruction, adding that the Arab League has an important and pivotal role in ending the crisis between two member states (Sudan and the UAE), and should immediately begin collective efforts to resolve the crisis in order to have an effective role and justification for its existence.
He pointed out that if the Arab League fails to resolve disputes among its members, its role will be meaningless. A different approach was suggested by the Egyptian expert, who believes that this time, in light of these grave dangers, the Arab League’s actions might be different, and it may take steps toward reconciliation with the UAE, and threaten neighboring countries hostile to Sudan with punishment if they continue their present attitude of aggression
. He added that diplomatic representation with these countries should be reduced, and trade dealings with them should be diminished, highlighting the humanitarian role that the Arab League should play in Sudan, calling for the establishment of a special fund for Sudan to help it rebuild what was destroyed by the war.
He described calls for withdrawal from the Arab League as ‘suspicious,’ stating that such a move directly contributes to isolating Sudan, which is what the rebels and Sudan’s enemies desire.
As for the discussion, the Sudanese journalist and political analyst Makki Al-Moghrabi noted that due to the firm positions of countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Algeria, it is likely that the discussion around Sudan will be highly guarded against any attempts at kidnapping or dilution.
Al-Moghrabi told “Sudanhorizon” that he expects the matter to be decisively settled against any ambiguous position of the League regarding what is called the parallel government, and that this level is expected, while more than this is not expected.
He added that this is quite sufficient given the current Arab division, considering that the countries hostile to Sudan are almost one country, but they have alliances with others and intertwined interests, noting that the division is due to interests and not due to the clarity of the issue. He stated that he is against the quitting the institution.
He said that he is against withdrawing from the Arab League, or from any regional or international institution, and against cutting relations. He continued that Sudan gains more through interaction, and it must identify the interacting parties and their capabilities, and this is the heart of the matter.

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