The United States has returned to hinting at using the policy of carrots and sticks in settling raging regional crises, and has begun to speak openly about it as an important entry point for stabilizing the cease-fire in Sudan, and as a successful means to contain the repercussions of the war on neighboring countries, and confirms that its enthusiasm to deal with the conflict between the army and support forces The rapid will have many faces in order to be able to return to the resumption of the political process.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken warned the conflicting parties in Sudan of violating the ceasefire agreement, which was mediated by Saudi Arabia and the US between the delegations of the army and the Rapid Support Forces, and entered into force on Monday evening.
He said in a video message broadcast on social media, addressed in particular to the Sudanese, that the United States and the mediators in the new armistice agreement “will hold the violators accountable through imposing sanctions and other available means.”
◙ Emphasizing the handing over of power to a civilian government is a message from Blinken that the results of the war will not change anything from Washington’s position
This strict tone seemed unusual in the official American discourse, which hesitated and did not actually respond to previous demands to impose sanctions on the two conflicting parties whose features appeared after the outbreak of the war, and preferred to resort to the option of dialogue with them and encouragement through support for the mediation mechanism that was formed in cooperation and coordination with Saudi Arabia.
Sudanese politician Adel Ibrahim Hamad told The Arab Weekly that the idea of intimidation through sanctions was tried with Sudan throughout the era of former President Omar al-Bashir and did not find any benefit. From this policy is the Sudanese people.
He added that the sanctions weapon that the United States raised in its dealings with Sudan and other countries did not fully achieve its goals, and on the contrary, the targeted leaders employ it politically in their favor, and obtain a double amount of popular sympathy for them, given that a major country in the world like the United States wants to shackle their national decision.
In his statement to The Arab Weekly, Adel Ibrahim Hamad pointed out the importance of the policy of enticement or what is now called the “carrot”. After the stick has proven useless, it is axiomatic to try the counter-granting approach, which can be suitable for dealing with the case of Sudan after the stage it has reached of destruction. In the midst of a war from which the state will emerge almost helpless.
And after Blinken raised the stick in the face of the conflicts in Sudan finally, without specifying a specific destination, he also showed the carrot when he said that his country intends to provide humanitarian aid worth $ 245 million to Sudan and neighboring countries to help it deal with the ongoing crisis resulting from the conflict in Sudan.
The new package of US humanitarian aid to Sudan and neighboring countries, including Chad, Egypt, South Sudan and Central Africa, was raised to $880 million.
The US administration fears the consequences of the challenges facing its moves in coordination with Riyadh, after increasing information about the two parties’ insistence on a military settlement, and dealing with the Jeddah ceasefire agreement as a temporary step that may be difficult to renew.
The Jeddah talks, which reached an earlier agreement to declare principles for humanitarian calm, then a week-long ceasefire, focused on ending the violence and providing assistance to the people.
Blinken stressed that a permanent solution to the conflict between the generals requires more than what was agreed upon in the Jeddah talks, and that the Sudanese “bear the responsibility of determining the path of their country..You must lead a political process to restore democratic transition and form a civilian government.”
Followers of Blinken’s promise to the Sudanese interpreted the continued support of the United States for a democratic government that represents all sects of the people as a clear message to return to the political process after the war, and it carried a rejection of any kind of circumvention that the army commander, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan might do to hold on to power for a long time, especially if he achieved decisive military victory and managed to control the reins of affairs.
These observers confirmed that the speech of the Rapid Support Commander, Lieutenant General Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo (Hamidti), adhered to the handing over of power to a civilian government, aimed at revealing the lack of change in his previous position, in which he justified his being drawn into the war, which is to prevent a military coup leading to the return of Al-Bashir’s remnants to power with cooperation. With General Al-Burhan.
Shortly before the ceasefire came into force, the Rapid Support Forces broadcast an audio message from its commander, Lieutenant General Muhammad Hamdan Daglo (Hamedti), in which he thanked Saudi Arabia and the United States, and said in it, “We will not back down unless we end this coup, prosecute all those who have committed crimes against the Sudanese people, and return to justice.” The democratic path.
It seems that Blinken’s emphasis on the issue of democratization in Sudan goes beyond calming many members of Congress who feared that the US administration had neglected this dimension in its recent moves, and that focusing on stopping the war might make it forget its main goal.
◙ Blinken stressed that a permanent solution to the conflict between the generals requires more than what was agreed upon in the Jeddah talks.
When the US Secretary of State returned and mentioned the handing over of power to a civilian government, he wanted to confirm that the results of the war and whoever wins it militarily will not change his country’s principled position on democratic transition, which means a categorical refusal to agree to any reality that will result from this war and is in favor of supporting the military dominance of the party. winner in it.
On Tuesday, separate areas in Khartoum witnessed a relatively calm atmosphere, following the entry into force of the ceasefire, which is monitored by Saudi Arabia and the United States.
While residents of Khartoum also heard the sound of artillery fire and the flight of warplanes, which threatens the steadfastness of the ceasefire, which represents great hope to urge the two parties to the conflict to end the war.
The United Nations envoy to Sudan, Volker Peretz, warned in a speech to the Security Council on Monday of the increasing ethnic nature of the conflict, and its potential repercussions on neighboring countries.
A senior official of the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Tuesday that Sudanese refugees are pouring into Chad at a very fast pace, to the point where it is impossible to transfer them all to safer places before the start of the rainy season in late June.
Republished from alarab-co-uk
