AU Commits to Leading Sudan Peace Process, Coordinates with UN to Resolve the Crisis
Sudanhorizon – Agencies
The African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security, Bankole Adeoye, has stressed that the African Union must be the driving force behind the peace process in Sudan, emphasizing that sustainable solutions to the crisis must stem from the principle of “African solutions to African problems.”
To bolster the legitimacy of his actions, the Commissioner revealed ongoing high-level coordination between the African Union and the United Nations, represented by the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, to unify platforms and initiatives and avoid multiple tracks.
These joint African-UN efforts enjoy political and technical support from the European Union, which has declared on more than one occasion its support for the African approach to ending the war, calling for “uniting international efforts behind the continental organization and the United Nations.”
These moves are based on the resolutions issued by the African Union Peace and Security Council, which outlined a road-map for ending the conflict and included the formation of high-level mechanisms to engage with the warring parties and civil society to ensure an inclusive political process. The African Union’s desire to take the lead faces challenges from parallel international initiatives, most notably the “Quadrilateral Mechanism” led by the United States, which includes Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates.
But this mechanism encounters diplomatic obstacles, as the Sudanese government has expressed strong reservations about the UAE’s participation in any settlement or mediation, accusing it of bias, lack of neutrality, and support for the Rapid Support Forces. This complicates the work of the Quartet.
During a press conference held Tuesday in Addis Ababa to launch the “African Union Journal on Reconstruction,” Commissioner Adeoye clarified the Union’s firm stance against interventions, stating: “regarding foreign interventions, we will not allow anyone to try to fuel the conflict, and we condemn all forms of interference in Sudan.”
The Commissioner stressed the importance of reaching an immediate ceasefire and giving political actors the opportunity to launch a national dialogue, while simultaneously emphasizing the need to end impunity and bring perpetrators of serious violations, to justice. Bankole announced the African Union’s full support for investigations into the violations that occurred in Darfur, in coordination with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and for bringing those responsible to justice.
Adewi’s statements coincided with criticism from Sudanese political and civil forces directed at the African Union for what they describe as its “slow” response to the crisis, despite the recent activity of the Peace and Security Council and its decision to hold a forthcoming presidential summit on the situation in Sudan.
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