December 16, Nairobi — The United States Special Envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello, confirmed that the joint forces affiliated with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) had militarized Zamzam camp for displaced persons, 15km south of El- Fasher.
In an interview with Darfur24 in Nairobi, Perriello warned of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Zamzam and that militarization of the camp is a violation of international humanitarian law. He also spoke of other U.S. efforts to end the war and communication with both warring parties.
See the transcript of the interview:
Darfur24: There are reports that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have reopened Nyala International airport and many planes have landed that are thought to be carrying weapons. Does this challenge to the United Security Council resolution regarding the ban on sending weapons to Darfur?
Perriello: We have been very clear and led the way on extending the Darfur arms embargo and not just extending it at the United Nations, but also producing the first sanctions in 15 years for violations of the Darfur arms embargo. We certainly oppose increased importation of weapons in any form into Darfur and we are going to continue to look at ways to sanction those who violate that embargo at the UN level and more generally those who are trying to fuel this conflict. So we will continue to play a leading role in trying to enforce that.
Darfur24: In El-Fasher, the situation is escalating with the RSF now targeting IDP Camps and SAF continuing to target civilians with airstrikes. What should the U.S. do about these two parties who still continue to commit war crimes?
Perriello: So first the situation in Zamzam camp is horrific. We had just started to get significant amounts of food and medicine delivered to those who have been so severely malnourished. Then we have this shelling of the camp by the RSF and some militarization by the Joint Forces. That is exactly the wrong direction to go in violation of International Humanitarian law. We need to see a demilitarization of the camp and that cannot be an excuse to shell hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians. As you noted the Sudan Armed Forces or Air Force appears to have killed over 200 civilians yesterday in a bombing. Incredibly tragic situation and, with both sides, we will continue to have consequences for the violations of International Humanitarian law as we have done before. So we will look very seriously at both of those incidents and we just need the sides to start acting more responsibly and respecting that the Sudanese people are innocent bystanders in this and should not continue to be used as weapons or shields
Darfur24: What about negotiations? Are both parties willing to go back to Jeddah or Geneva?
Perriello: Well, we do have the existing Jeddah declarations and both parties have already committed themselves to respecting international humanitarian law. So these are violations not just of international law but of their own commitment to Jeddah. When you see these sorts of strikes on civilians or shelling of IDP camps that’s got to have consequences. We do want to get the parties back to the table but the truth is we need them to have the political will to end this war. We need to see that. We have of course opposed the RSF for its entire existence. We also have supported the civilian transition that began in 2019. I think there’s actually a large agreement across all parts of Sudan. When I talk to folks they want an end to the war, they want a restoration of the civilian transition and they want a chance to live out their dreams in a stable Sudan.
Darfur24: The RSF has just started a heavy attack on the Gezira area. Do you talk with the RSF regularly?
Perriello: We regularly communicate with both sides of the war to discourage these sorts of offensives that reflect this false notion that they’re going to win this war militarily. Unfortunately all it does is increase the number of civilians killed and the number of civilians that are malnourished. More than 11 million Sudanese have had to flee the country into neighboring countries. We really appreciate the hospitality that neighboring countries like Chad have shown but we know the situation there is not good. The situation in the camps is very, very tough. We have kids who are in their second year of not only not sitting for exams but not even being in schools. We’re losing a generation of the brilliance and the talent of the Sudanese people. So we need to put down the guns, get back to a unifying civilian transition so that the Sudanese people can live in the dignity and freedom they deserve.
Darfur24: There’s a report about famine in Nuba Mountains. Did you speak to Abdulaziz Al-Hilu about being given access to relief in the mountains under SPLM-N control?
Perriello: The United States has been very involved in trying to ensure that food medicine reaches people in Kadugli and other parts of South Kordofan and working to increase access to isolated areas. This access never should have been denied in the first place. People being able to access food and medicine is just a basic right, it’s a basic decency. We do appreciate that we’re now several weeks into progress on both airdrops and other mechanisms for getting aid into some of those areas. We think that’s very important. SAF has committed to allowing flights from Port Sudan into Kadugli. We hope those will begin very soon. We need to get into all of these isolated communities in Sudan and make sure people are getting food and medicine. The United States is by far the biggest donor of food and medicine and we want to make sure it’s getting to the people. We don’t want it sitting in warehouses in Port Sudan or outside of Adre. We want it in the hands and the bellies of the kids who have not had access to food and I think that’s what every Sudanese parent wants as well.
Darfur24: As you said about aid, there are reports about looting and the the theft of relief in areas controlled by the SAF. Do you talk with SAF about this issue? How can relief be provided to the internally displaced?
Perriello: The United States is very clear, as are our partners, with both SAF and RSF that it is a violation of international humanitarian law if you loot or divert food. Humanitarian aid is particularly important in these times of such serious malnourishment and even famine. We have certainly called out both sides when we have seen those violations. One of the things that President Burhan recently greenlit was the ability to get some humanitarian hubs active inside Sudan which makes it much easier for the international aid community to get food and medicine to people more quickly. We need that to continue that, we need to make sure those hubs are operational and that we are able to document and prove if that diversion is happening. If either side is stealing food from starving people, we want to make sure we know about that and can stop it. First and foremost because it’s the right thing to do but also because it’s something we paid for and invested in and we want to make sure it’s getting to the people who need it.
Darfur24: It has now been almost two years since the beginning of this war. When do you expect it to end?
Perriello: I mean I hope that the war will end tomorrow in the same way that I wish it had ended yesterday. You know, I think one of the things about this is that this was a war created by human choice and it was a famine created by human choice. This was not a tsunami or a drought that caused it. This was decisions by men who wanted to fight over power and resources instead of allowing the Sudanese people to live out the civilian transition they had dreamed of and the same people who made the choice to go to war can make that choice to end the war and we believe as soon as that happens so many lives can be saved and so many people can benefit from a prosperous and stable Sudan. If the parties come off their maximalist positions and look at how to put the people of Sudan first, this war could end very quickly.