Sudan

Earl of Dundee Excerpts

Friday 13th September 2024 Lords Chamber

[The Earl of Dundee (Con)]

My Lords, I join in thanking the noble Lord, Lord Collins of Highbury, for introducing this debate. As emphasised by many, a strengthened civilian coalition is now essential in Sudan. In my remarks today, I will connect together three points: how Sudan’s new and growing civilian consensus can and must become much more effective; assistance to that endeavour from international diplomacy; and, along with other countries, the continuing and future roles of us and the United States, acting within the United Nations.

As has already been mentioned, the co-ordination body of civilian democratic forces, known as Taqaddum, was established in October 2023 and is the largest affiliation of Sudanese civil society. It urges an immediate end to the war, greater efforts to deal with the humanitarian crisis and better ways to protect displaced people, enabling their return home through a monitoring mission. The affiliation also stands for unequivocal democracy, without discrimination on grounds of religion, identity or culture.

However, while this year its aims have inspired fresh hope and purpose, so far its process has not sufficiently spread and developed. To achieve that, the civilian coalition should now broaden its base. It must engage much more with the grass roots of the regions, reaching out to women, youth and the various political and religious groups.

Equally, to dispel propaganda attacks against it by the SAF and RSF fighting factions, Taqaddum and its leader, Abdalla Hamdok, to whom the Minister referred in his opening remarks, ought to become ever more vociferous in rejecting the war and espousing neutrality. In order to communicate this and the other parts of their message, they have to make regular use of the media.

Correspondingly, and as evidenced by recent proposals of the African Union and Egypt, international diplomacy now recognises the potential of Sudan’s civilian coalition to outmanoeuvre the fighting groups and to guide the country towards peace and stability.

Does the Minister agree, therefore, that increasing international encouragement should be given to Taqaddum for dialogue between it and Governments of nations, so that concerns about the civilian governance of Sudan can be aired and addressed?

Does he also concur that international diplomacy ought now to assist civilian access to media? This would have the benefit of putting pressure on those aiding and abetting the war to switch their allegiance to Sudan’s humanitarian plight instead, as well as the advantage of more clearly publicising the inclusive and democratic agenda of Sudan’s civilian coalition.

My noble friend Lord Bellingham recommended targeted sanctions against SAF and RSF. Is the Minister in favour of selecting sanctions that can be properly enforced—for example, those which regional operators will co-operate in enforcing—in order to build up and sustain the credibility of all efforts, whether these be external or internal, to stop the war?

Working alongside other countries within the UN, as the noble Baroness, Lady Amos, and the noble Lords, Lord Alton and Lord Kerr, have intimated, there are key opportunities and ways for our own country and the United States to become more proactive in promoting justice, democracy and human rights as Sudan’s civilian movement gains momentum. This could include the desirable expediences already advocated by the most reverend Primate the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Since resuming diplomatic relations with Sudan in 2019, and in spite of some failed peace attempts, certainly the United States will remain a central player, as will the United Kingdom—not least taking into account our reputation and contribution to Sudan’s successful years when, during the first part of the 20th century, that country was a joint protectorate of Egypt and the United Kingdom.

Sudan’s future stability depends upon whether its present civilian coalition can notably strengthen and consolidate. All our countries must now make sure that this happens.