Sudan’s Regional Peace-Making Role is Plausible

Entebbe, Uganda - Sudan is emerging as an important African peace-making nation owing to its resource investments in stabilizing its two neighbouring countries of Central African Republic (CAR) and South Sudan. In September last year, it brokered a peace deal between South Sudan opponents and followed it with yet another one for CAR in February this year.

In international relations, Khartoum’s role must not only be applauded but also supported with the necessary diplomacy, resources and logistics.

It has lately become clear that if one country is unstable, the effects, in political and economic terms are not limited to it and its neighbours, but also spill globally in regards to implications of refugee-hosting and its consequences. Uganda which is currently the third-world’s most refugee-hosting nation after Pakistan and Turkey have immense experiences of this to offer, more so why regional conflicts must be amicably settled.

On March 19, UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres recognized Khartoum’s sponsorship of peace processes in the aforementioned nations.

Since January this year, Khartoum has been playing a pivotal role in mediating Central African belligerents, a process that culminated in the signing of the initial peace agreement on February 5, at the Friendship Hall in Khartoum and final one in Bangui on February 6. Sudan shares a 400km stretch of land at its South-Western border with CAR.  

The peace deal in Khartoum was witnessed by the presidents of CAR and Sudan, Faustin-Archange Touadéra and Omar Hassan al-Bashir respectively, the representative of the UN-SG, Jean-Pierre, Chairperson of African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahama, AU’s Peace and Security Commissioner, Ambassador Smail Cherguias well as the regional and international diplomatic corps. According to Sudan minister of foreign affairs, this occasion was important because several others preceding it had been unsuccessful.   

Meeting with out-going Sudan’s Permanent Representative at the UN Headquarters in New York recently, Ambassador Omar Dahab, Mr Guterres expressed confidence of the UN in working with Khartoum to achieve lasting peace in CAR and South Sudan as well as the Darfur region. The Sudan diplomat pledged continued cooperation between his country and the UN in all areas of common interest. Giving an update on the current situation in Sudan, ambassador Dahab noted a great deal of improvement among Sudanese people in resolving their political and economic concerns.