Sudan’s warring generals have subjected the country to a brutal conflict for nearly three months with no end in sight. That the most recently announced ceasefire on Tuesday, June 27 for Eid al-Adha collapsed in a matter of hours came as no surprise, as none of the 16 previous ceasefires brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia have held for long and both General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemedti,” remain firmly convinced of their ability to secure a military victory. Local actors on ground have been providing assistance to citizens caught in the crossfire, but with precious few resources. Various international actors have confessed that they were wrong for not working more closely with the resistance committees and supporting their demands in the years leading up to the conflict. Yet, there has still been no change of policy. Furthermore, the international community has still not fully mobilized its leverage and mechanisms to hold the warring generals to account, end the conflict, and facilitate humanitarian assistance to the Sudanese people.
On Thursday, July 27, 2023, the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP) hosted a virtual panel discussion on Sudan’s ongoing conflict, the role of the international community, and how global actors can change the course of action on ground and help the Sudanese people realize their aspirations for a peaceful and democratic country. In a conversation moderated by Magdi Amin, panelists Reem Abbas, Hamid Khalafallah, Awadallah Hussein, and Muzna Al-Haj explored questions such as: What has international engagement looked like around the recent violence in Sudan? What lessons can be learned for more productive future efforts to support Sudan’s people? What is the status of Sudan’s resistance committees and larger pro-democracy movement amid the crisis? How can all actors responsible for war crimes and violence against civilians be held to account?
Watch the recording here:
Speaker Profiles:
Reem Abbas
Nonresident Fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East PolicyReem Abbas is a Nonresident Fellow at TIMEP focusing on land, conflict, and resources in Sudan. She is also the institute’s first Mohamed Aboelgheit Fellow. She has contributed to dozens of outlets including the Washington Post, the Nation, Al-Monitor, the Guardian, Open Democracy, and African Arguments. She has been working in the field of communications and advocacy for Sudanese civil society groups and international organizations for more than 10 years. She is active in the women’s movement in Sudan and was a former member in the coordination committee in Sudanese Women in Civic and Political Groups (MANSAM). She also spent years working with Sudanese refugees in Egypt and published a profile on a young refugee musician in the book “Voices in Refuge” published by the American University in Cairo Press.
Hamid Khalafallah
Program Officer for the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA)Hamid Khalafallah is a former Nonresident Fellow at TIMEP focusing on inclusive governance and mobilization in Sudan. He is a development practitioner, researcher, and policy analyst, currently working as a Program Officer for the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), supporting Sudan’s democratic transition. Over the years, he has worked for various international and national organizations in Sudan on governance and development issues. Hamid is an alumnus of the Young African Leaders Program of the School of Transnational Governance at the European University Institute in Italy. He holds an MA in International Development Management from the University of Bradford in the UK, where he studied as a Chevening Scholar and was awarded the 2019 UK Development Studies Association best dissertation prize. In his free time, Hamid has been active with various civil resistance groups in Sudan, promoting democracy and advocating for human rights.
Awadallah Hussein
Civil Society Activist and ResearcherAwadallah Hussein is a civil society activist in the Darfur Action Network and a researcher in local languages from the Darfur region. He holds a Master’s degree in peace and development studies.
Muzna Alhaj
Khartoum Resistance CommitteesMuzna Alhaj is a political analyst, activist, and women and youth political participation advocate. She is a member of Khartoum Resistance Committees, the Rapporteur and English-language Spokesperson of Khartoum East Resistance Committees Coordination Body.
Magdi M. Amin
Sudanese-American Adjunct Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International StudiesMagdi M. Amin is a member of TIMEP’s Board of Advisors. He is a Sudanese-American Adjunct Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and Managing Partner of African Renaissance Partners who focuses on harnessing the power of markets, technology, and investment to give people agency and lives of dignity. African Renaissance Partners is a venture capital firm that backs entrepreneurs transforming the Horn of Africa by using technology to solve major development challenges such as access to finance, renewable energy, logistics, education, health, and agricultural productivity. Magdi joined the Transitional Government of Sudan in January 2020 as a Senior Advisor to the Minister of Finance. He supported economic reforms to stabilize the economy, regain access to multilateral financial institutions, restructure Sudan’s external debt, and create broad-based growth. He continues to advocate for a broad-based democratic government in Sudan.