It is 19 months since war broke out between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Army (SAF). The two army commanders, who were supposed to rule the country legally, have sent the country into a brutal civil war. On 15 April 2023, war broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the capital, Khartoum. It is unknown who fired the first shot. The war takes place both on the ground and from the air. The two forces have collaborated to govern Sudan after they seized power in 2021. The RSF was to be integrated into the army, but there was disagreement about when and how this should be done. The war is therefore seen as a personal conflict between the two army commanders. The war has sent 14 million people fleeing. Both the SAF and the RSF fight brutally. Reports show that looting, vandalism, rape and killing of civilians takes place on both sides. 25 million people need humanitarian aid. – When the war broke out, I knew I had to get out. In the very first week I heard that SAF soldiers had raped girls in my neighbourhood, says Manal Alawal to news. The UN describes the war as a “living nightmare”. Manal Alawal fled from Sudan to Uganda, where the children and husband live together in April 2023. Photo: Privat In the last month there has been a violent escalation in the state of Al Jazirah, as a result of the RSF commander Abu Aqla Keikel switching sides in October and defecting to SAF. The UN sees the attack in Al Jazirah as a kind of punishment for Keikel’s departure – aimed at his ethnic group. Hundreds have been killed, women have been abducted. An 11-year-old girl died as a result of sexual violence. The picture shows soldiers working with the Sudanese army (SAF) in the coastal town of Port Sudan in October. The SAF currently controls large parts of eastern Sudan. The RSF controls most of Western Sudan. Photo: AFP The two armies are fighting for power, and are unable to talk to each other. All ceasefires have been broken. – I have always said that women bring peace A week after the war broke out in April last year, Manal Alawal and her family fled to Uganda. Here you have become part of a civil group that works for peace. The group consists of 14 women from different parts of Sudan who try to represent Sudanese women in as unified a way as possible. They want to ensure that their voices are heard, despite the fact that none of them are invited to the formal peace negotiations. – I have always said that women bring peace, while men start wars, says Alawal. During the revolution in Sudan in 2019, it was the women who dominated the demonstrations. They managed to overthrow the regime. A transitional government was put in place, which was removed when the RSF and SAF seized power two years later. Their plan was to rule the country together. The war between the two armies is seen as a personal conflict between the leaders, and a struggle for power. The 14 women in the peace group are today scattered in different countries. Only two of them are still in Sudan. – We mostly talk on WhatsApp and Zoom. And when international organizations facilitate it, we have met physically here in Uganda, Alawal says. In August, the RSF and SAF were invited to Geneva for ceasefire talks, organized by the US. The women’s group followed. – We didn’t know exactly where they were, but we traveled there to have a so-called peace workshop at the same time. We discussed peace and discussed our demands for peace, regardless of whether we were not invited, Alawal says. The workshop was organized by, among others, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The official peace talks, however, went up in smoke. SAF did not show up. Protesters in Geneva in August this year. The USA invited peace talks between the SAF and the RSF, but only the RSF turned up. Photo: Salvatore Di Nolfi / AP Met women from the RSF and SAF A few weeks before, the civilian peace group met female representatives from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and other political wings for informal peace talks. – In addition, a woman came from SAF. She was not allowed to travel as an official representative of SAF, but she came anyway. The women managed to talk to each other in a constructive way, believes Alawal. – We were angry at each other. We shouted, then we became quiet, then we shouted again, and then we cried again. Although I am angry with the RSF and SAF, there are women on that side who are also laughing, says Alawal. – None of us started the war. It was the men. They didn’t ask us what we wanted, so why should we listen to them? Manal Alawal in 2020 after the Sudanese government signed a peace agreement with rebel groups in the country. Photo: Privat Bad the organizers leave the room It was the German non-governmental organization Berghof Foundation that organized the meeting. – Eventually we asked the German organizers and their interpreters to leave the room, so that we Sudanese women could speak alone. Over the course of three days, women from RSF, SAF, political and civil groups managed to find a way to talk to each other. – Why do you think they were able to talk to each other, but not the men? – Because we listen and manage to understand each other’s pain. We spent a long time getting to know each other, Alawal says. Everyone around the table wanted a ceasefire and everyone agreed that more emergency aid must come to the women in Sudan, with a particular focus on women’s products. Despite the fact that such meetings do not lead to the laying down of arms, Alawal believes it is important that everyone who manages to talk to each other does so. They have decided that they will keep in touch. In November, they will meet for the second time. Published 18.11.2024, at 07.33
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Over the course of three days, the women managed to talk to each other – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
