Maat: The urgent situation in Sudan requires solidarity between African civil society

Okeil: We call on African civil society to launch relief campaigns to activate humanitarian protection in Sudan

Pasha: We recommend launching a roadmap proposed by the African ECOSOCC to calm the escalating crisis in Sudan

Boudali: We call for emergency meetings with Sudanese civil society to discuss mechanisms for resolving the current crisis

In the context of the deteriorating humanitarian situation and the raging war in Sudan, Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights, in its capacity as a Chair of the Cross-cutting Programs Cluster in the African ECOSOCC, organized a virtual meeting with representatives from the African ECOSOCC and a number of civil society experts, in order to discuss the urgent situation in Sudan, unite efforts, and agree on a roadmap for the participation of African civil society in resolving the ongoing crisis in Sudan.

For his part, Ayman Okeil, President of Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights and Chair of the Cross-cutting Programs Cluster in the African ECOSOCC, confirmed that civil society and the ECOSOCC can have a role to play in the Sudanese crisis through mobilization and advocacy in order to support the negotiation process and peace-building efforts in Sudan. Okeil recommended the need to put in place monitoring and early warning mechanisms for humanitarian needs and human rights violations, in addition to developing mobilization and advocacy mechanisms in order to ensure providing protection and humanitarian relief to Sudan.

Mr. Khalid Boudali, President of the AU Economic, Social and Cultural Council, mentioned that the African ECOSOCC strongly condemns all acts that violate humanitarian law and do not take into account the protection of civilians in times of conflict. Boudali explained that the role of the African ECOSOCC is to provide recommendations aimed at preventing and reducing fighting, especially in the urban area, which has a positive impact on spreading peace and achieving sustainable development.

 Besides, Boudali called for holding another meeting with members of institutions and non-governmental organizations in Sudan in order to assess the real situation in Sudan and figure out how to intervene in order to address these urgent situations.

Abdul-Rahman Pasha, Member of Partners for Transparency and Director of the Sustainable Development Unit at Maat, highlighted the need to launch a road map proposed by the AU Economic and Social Council for all parties in Sudan, explaining that this map shall urge all parties to exercise restraint and return to the negotiating table as soon as possible, with clear guarantees of commitment to an immediate ceasefire.

It is noteworthy that Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights acts as a Chair of the Cross-Cutting Programs Cluster in the African ECOSOCC, and it also has an observer status in the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, in addition to being a coordinator of the NGO major groups for Africa. With regard to the current situation in Sudan, Maat provided many urgent statements to the special procedures of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the urgent humanitarian situation in Sudan.