UN campaigns for negotiated peace deal to end conflict in Sudan

The U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Martha Pobee,  has called for a negotiated solution to the conflict in Sudan, saying there is no alternative to end the bloodshed.

The Ghanaian diplomat said the calls in some quarters for the war to continue in order to achieve a military victory will only contribute to destroying Sudan.

She emphasised that “The longer this war continues, the greater the risk of fragmentation, and foreign interference, and erosion of sovereignty, and the loss of Sudan’s future, particularly its youth.”

Pobee raised particular worries about the ethnic nature of the battle in the Darfur region, particularly in West Darfur, which has seen severe ethnic bloodshed.

In the early 2000s, Darfur experienced widespread ethnic violence and crimes against humanity.

In 2005, the International Criminal Court started an investigation and indicted then-Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir with genocide.

Khartoum, according to officials, is still the core of the raging clashes, with fighting centered on critical Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) installations, including its headquarters. Other regions of concern are the states of Kordofan and Blue Nile.

The United Nations said more than 4 million people have fled their homes as a result of the present conflict in Sudan, with 3.2 million being internally displaced and nearly 900,000 crossing into Chad, Egypt, South Sudan, and other countries.

It added that many people trapped by the violence have been unable to seek safety elsewhere, exposing them to abuse, theft and harassment.