SAF Suspends Participation in Jeddah Talks
Current Figures
At least 865 killed and 3,634 wounded
IOM: 1,210,214 IDPs
UNHCR: Over 376,323 refugees & returnees have fled
Egypt: 169,565 (Sudanese refugees: 164,000, Other refugees: 5,565)
Chad: 100,000 (Sudanese refugees: 100,000)
South Sudan: 86,451 (Sudanese refugees: 2,574, Other refugees: 2,593, Refugee returnees: 81,284)
CAR: 13,824 (Sudanese refugees: 10,368, Refugee returnees: 3,456)
Ethiopia: 6,483 (Sudanese refugees: 949, Other refugees: 5,480, Refugee returnees: 54)
Sudan Army Ceases Negotiations
The announcement made by Burhan yesterday accused the RSF of refusing to adhere to the ceasefire agreement as they had made “repeated violations”. According to a post by the Sudan News, “The General Command of the Armed Forces has decided to suspend the current talks in Jeddah due to the rebel militia’s lack of commitment to the implementation [of] any of the terms of the agreement and its continuous violation of the ceasefire.” The RSF also claims that the army has been violating the ceasefire through heavy air bombardments and is halting negotiations in order to undermine them.
The RSF had expressed a willingness to extend the ceasefire before SAF’s pull. Both parties had agreed on Monday to extend the weeklong ceasefire by five days. The next day, Burhan stated that his army has yet to use full force, but "if the enemy does not obey and does not respond we will be forced to use the strongest force we have." The following day, Burhan decided to suspend all talks.
According to Alan Boswell, project director for the Horn of Africa at Crisis Group, “The concern now is if these Jeddah talks collapse, it confirms more or less that Sudan is basically in freefall into a full civil war. When I talk to diplomats, there is a growing sense of essentially, helplessness, as they feel like they’re watching Sudan collapse, but they are unable to get the two to stop fighting.”
A plan to initiate broad talks is being developed and will be proposed as soon as possible. These discussions would include Sudanese across sectors and will “go beyond political or ideological differences”.
At Least 60 Children Die in Orphanage
Over 60 children have died while trapped at the Orphan's Care Centre, Mygoma, in Khartoum since the conflict began. Due to a severe shortage of staff, many infants and children are dying from severe malnutrition and dehydration or infections. Twenty-six children died just this past weekend, including some babies as young as three months old. Babies are often kept on the floors in order to protect them from gunfire and shrapnel. Some children have been moved and grouped into different rooms as shelling had destroyed parts of the building and covered facilities in dust. Power outages from the ongoing fighting have added to the orphanage difficulties. “Without working ceiling fans and air conditioning, rooms turn stiflingly hot in Khartoum’s baking May weather, and the lack of power makes sterilising equipment difficult.” Temperatures in Khartoum have reached 43℃ (110℉) over the last month.
Before the war began, Mygoma housed 400 children under the age of five, with an average of 25 children per room. The orphanage received hundreds of babies every year, many arriving in poor health. “Having a child outside of marriage bears a stigma in predominantly Muslim Sudan.” The orphanage has struggled for years due to staff shortages, hygiene issues, and limited funding. In 2003, the mortality rate reached 75 per cent, causing Doctors Without Borders to intervene and minimise the rate by half. The ratio of staff to children was one to five, but over the last six weeks Mygoma has been reduced to just 20 nannies for the 400 children, a ratio of one to 20.
Infants at the Mygoma orphanage in Khartoum. Source: AP Photo/Heba Abdalla
An attempt to evacuate the orphans is currently being planned. But with the suspension of talks, violence in Khartoum will likely heighten and make an escape increasingly dangerous.
Doctor Who Criticised Army Arrested
Dr. Alaaeldin Nugud who “criticised the army for diverting aid from the World Health Organization to a hospital it has converted into a barracks has been arrested by intelligence officers” on Saturday. Nugud reported on a Sudanese news channel that the army was diverting aid from those in need, specifically a WHO shipment to Port Sudan. According to Nugud, the shipment was taken to a hospital in Omdurman which had been turned into a SAF barracks. When doctors arrived at the facility to transport the aid to other hospitals, “they were denied entry.” Armed plainclothes officers arrested the surgeon while confiscating his library, computer, and cell phone and assaulted his younger brother. Nugud’s wife and daughter have fled to Egypt. The Sudanese American Physicians Association has called the targeting of doctors “a feature, not a bug, of the horrific crisis, and it must stop now.”
Looking Forward
In less than two months, it has become commonplace to see Burhan and Hemedti repeatedly behave in a flippant and volatile manner. It would not be surprising to see in the next coming days another ceasefire reached, then violated. What remains constant is the continued battle between parties, resulting in climbing numbers of refugees and casualties. Without humanitarian aid access and considering the likelihood of spillover, the Sudan conflict will produce unprecedented figures.
Hopefully mediators can bring the SAF back to negotiations, pushing both sides to eventually implement real action. African Union spokesperson on the Sudan crisis Mohamed El Hacen Lebatt spoke on Burhan’s announcement, stating "It is not surprising. It happens often. We hope the mediator will succeed to bring both parties for working on an expected ceasefire." However, the challenges faced by the Saudi and American hosts are growing. Should Burhan and Hemedti continue to be equivocating, the discord in Sudan will escalate and attract groups who seek to take advantage of the insecurity.
The situation in Sudan is continuing to spiral out of control with more questions and concerns raised daily. Both warring parties correctly accuse each other of violating the ceasefire. Despite the claims of defending the country and its civilians, neither appear to significantly regard the mounting humanitarian catastrophes. Every day, more babies will die in the Khartoum orphanage until there are none left. More will risk their lives to cross borders into an unknown future. More will be trapped in an endless state of fear amongst the building carnage. Over a million are in Sudan, waiting for peace. Many will never see it come to light.