Owusu on Africa: Could “forgetting” a war lead to its resolution? – The case of Sudan

By Fidel Amakye Owusu

When conflict broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April this year, it dominated international headlines.

Apart from the abrupt start of the conflict, it provided a classical case for analysts. It had all levels of analysis well-represented. The individual, institutional, state, regional and global dimensions and players could all be seen.

For 3 weeks, I continuously granted interviews to international and local media agencies on the conflict. Even though Russia-Ukraine was happening, it still attracted significant attention.

The attention and different dynamics meant that the main parties had many alternatives and support from the actors. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo used the pronounced attention to seek leverage and military advantage.

And so what?

Reports that the factions of the Sudanese clashes are willing to return to the negotiation table have been well-received despite the expected scepticism. While the possibility of a political solution has not been ruled out, it appears the current move by the parties emanates from the decreasing relevance of the conflict over the months.

The Sudan conflict has become a “forgotten war”.

How?

In the early weeks of the conflict, efforts by regional and global actors to resolve it ended in futility. Despite the involvement of more powerful states like the United States and Saudi Arabia, the actors had better alternatives to negotiations.

After months of protraction and increasing deaths, other conflicts have rendered the SAF-RSF clashes “irrelevant”. Ukraine, despite starting a year earlier still has the attention of global powers. For Europe, the war is an existential one. The United States also considers it a major strategic interest.

After months of Saudi efforts to resolve the conflict had failed, it had also turned away. Later, Riyadh organized a peace summit on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Then came the Hamas attack on Israel.

The recent conflict in the Middle East after an unprecedented attack by Hamas against Israeli civilians has further shifted global and regional attention from Sudan. Many of the consequential actors are currently focused on the fast-changing dynamics in West Asia.

With resources, diplomatic attention and a general audience moving towards more “pressing” conflicts, it appears the different factions in Sudan are realizing how they are becoming increasingly irrelevant on the global stage.

At this juncture, peace could become an important “item” on their list. With so many needlessly perishing every day, the war needs to end. The international community should not ignore it.

Last weekend, a security expert mentioned in the Lome Peace and Security Forum that the Sudan conflict has become a “forgotten war”.

Give peace a chance.

Fidel Amakye Owusu is an International Relations and Security Analyst. He is an Associate at the Conflict Research Consortium for Africa and has previously hosted an International Affairs program with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC). He is passionate about Diplomacy and realizing Africa’s global potential and how the continent should be viewed as part of the global collective.