Sudan conflict: Deadly conflict have engulfed Sudan. At the heart of the intense clashes in the country are two men: Sudan’s military ruler and head of the army Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti, the country’s deputy and head of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group.
Tensions arose between the two over negotiations to integrate the RSF into the country’s military as part of plans to restore civilian rule.
Naturally, the power struggle between the two main factions of the military regime has dashed hopes of a return to civilian rule.
Moreover, the intense clashes have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people and sent thousands fleeing for safety. Now the spectre of a civil war threatens to destabilise the wider region. However, not all is lost as yet for Sudan.
As international efforts to ensure peace in Sudan grow, Israel too has thrown its weight behind in calling for cessation of hostilities in the African nation.
Israel’s mediation efforts in Sudan conflict
As per a report, Israel recently proposed hosting rival Sudanese leaders for ceasefire talks after “very promising” progress in mediation efforts led by a senior Israeli official over the past few days.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has said in a statement that “since fighting erupted in the country, Israel has been operating in various channels to reach a ceasefire, and the progress over the past few days in discussions with the sides is very promising.”
However, the statement gave no further details other than saying the official had been holding discussions with the warring generals.
It is to be noted here that Sudan and Israel announced in February they had finalised a deal normalising ties. After generations of non-recognitions, Sudan pledged to take steps towards diplomatic ties with Israel, as part of a 2020 deal brokered by then US President Trump’s administration, alongside normalisation deals between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco known as the “Abraham Accords”.
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Thus, Israel’s mediation efforts in Sudan is significant as this may lead to further strengthening of relations with the African nation.
This could have important implications for Israel’s regional influence, particularly as it seeks to build closer ties with other African countries.
Further, Israel’s involvement in the peace process in Sudan could also help it build new alliances in the region, particularly those that are also seeking to broker peace deals.
As per a recent report, Sudan’s army has expressed willingness to extend the three-day ceasefire that is due to expire Thursday night.
Further, the Presidents of South Sudan, Kenya, and Djibouti have worked on a proposal that includes extending the truce and talks between the two forces.
In addition to all this, recently it was reported that US was pressuring Niger to normalise relations with Israel. We previously told our readers, with this, the US-Israel-Niger may try to counter the Algeria-Iran threat in the Sahel region.
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Thus, Israel’s involvement in Sudan’s peace process could also help it to challenge its regional rivals. As all these countries seek to expand their influence in African in recent times, Israel’s role in Sudan can be seen as a direct challenge to such efforts of its rivals.
In the end, the geopolitical implications aside, with collective international efforts Sudan too sees a new ray of hope for its return to democracy and peace by this ongoing conflict.
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