Dear Editor
Recent reports coming out of Sudan, where a brutal civil war has been raging between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), are nothing short of devastating.
In the past 48 hours, following their capture of el-Fasher in south-western Sudan, the RSF has embarked on what human rights organisations have referred to as summary executions, ethnic cleansing, and acts of genocide as a bloodbath of senseless killings has massacred some 2000 individuals, including women, children, and the elderly.
United Nations (UN) Sudan coordinators have also received reports of the execution of unarmed civilians, which constitutes a war crime under the UN Charter, and the bombing of the last remaining regional hospitals with hundreds of injured patients still inside.
Despite having met with the leader of the RSF in January 2024, and reiterating “the need for an immediate ceasefire and the dialogue towards permanent cessation of hostilities” neither President Cyril Ramaphosa nor International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) Minister, Ronald Lamola, have expressed adequate condemnation of these most recent gross human rights violations taking place in our own region, or taken commensurate diplomatic action to bring an end to this senseless war.
DIRCO’s response has been tepid to say the least, now seeking to distance South Africa from the conflict despite President Ramaphosa’s meeting with the RSF, and absolving South Africa of any further role in meaningful mediation.
Furthermore, by failing to address the RSF’s genocidal intent and ignoring the clear evidence of ethnic erasure, South Africa comes across as grossly hypocritical in light of its response to similar conflicts in other parts of the world.
It is imperative that President Ramaphosa urgently engage the African Union (AU) through its Chairperson, His Excellency João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, to begin the crucial process of negotiating a ceasefire between the SAF and RSF as part of the emergency meeting convened by the Peace and Security Council, mobilise access to humanitarian aid for the millions of displaced Sudanese citizens who have fled to neighbouring countries, and work with the greater international community to place increased pressure on the warring factions to find common ground.
It is becoming increasingly clear that the ethnic and racially-motivated killings by the RSF in Sudan necessitate broader peacekeeping talks to address societal divisions which still bely much of the conflict in this particular region.
This is where South Africa, having utilised the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to assist in our transition to democracy, has a crucial role to play on the continent. This can only take place, however, when the ANC abandons its political allegiances on the continent in favour of South Africa’s national interest and the values which underpin our constitution.
South Africa’s selective diplomatic outrage at international conflicts and human rights abuses under the ANC only expose the party’s exclusive and inconsistent interpretation and application of international law.
South African diplomacy, under the ANC, continues to express tacit support and tolerance for their political allies on the continent, conveniently ignoring the atrocities committed by liberation movements turned dictatorships whose actions run contrary to the principles enshrined in the South African constitution and for which our own government should be fighting without fear or favour.
The DA calls on President Ramaphosa to act against the very real genocides taking place in our own region, and work towards fostering peace and stability in Africa to ensure our continent’s shared prosperity going forward.
Africa’s instability has real consequences for the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the world at large, and we cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the conflicts raging on our own soil and the thousands of African lives which hang in the balance.
Regards
Ryan Smith MP
DA Spokesperson on International Relations and Cooperation
Related: South Africa condemns Sudan atrocities, demands end to impunity and hostilities