South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Simon Deng
The Chargé d’affaires in the Sudanese Embassy in South Sudan Gamal M.A.Goraish has called on regional leaders to exert efforts to bring an end to the deadly conflict which erupted on April 15 2023.
“We rely on our regional partners because this war is not going to stop only in Sudan, it could go to other countries in the region and security of Sudan is security of the neighboring countries,” Goraish said in an interview on Friday in Juba.
“The government is ready as per conditions announced by President Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, nobody wants the war to continue because we are losing innocent lives; kids, women, elders and Sudanese people are losing their properties,” he added.
Goraish said that the Jeddah Declaration signed in May 2023 is considered as a real step toward realizing an end to the conflict.
The conflict has killed more than 12,000 people since fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) under Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo in mid-April last year.
Goraish said that RSF forces are supposed to vacate residential houses, government institutions, places of worship and cities under the Jeddah Declaration, adding that this has not yet been implemented by the RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo commonly known as Hemedti.
Since May 6 2023, Saudi Arabia and the United States have been sponsoring talks between the Sudanese warring parties in the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah. Several truces have been reached since then, but both sides have accused each other of violating the ceasefire.
Goraish said that the war in Sudan has expanded from Khartoum to Darfur, South Kordofan and Gezira state, adding that the attempt by RSF to topple the government has led to casualties, looting, raping and loss of properties.
“The government is very sincere about bringing peace, we must work to bring peace that recognizes the dignity of the Sudanese people, peace that brings justice to those who lose their lives and properties,” Goraish said.
He also revealed that political coalitions in Sudan including the Coordination of Civil Democratic Forces led by former Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok and Sudan National Democratic Alliance have different views on how to bring about peaceful end to the conflict.
“We want the war to stop but we cannot go back again to the same scenario of having two armies in the country,” Goraish said.
“We are still hopeful that we can have peace in Sudan, peace must come because that is what Sudanese people deserve, they do not deserve to be living in IDP and refugee camps in neighboring countries,” he added.
About 5.3 million people have been displaced within Sudan, according to the International Organization for Migration Displacement Tracking Matrix.
It added that about 1.3 million people crossed into neighboring countries, including the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan.
