Eleven days have passed since the forces of the Tasis Alliance succeeded in establishing control over the Sudanese city of Al-Fashir, and subsequently announced the start of withdrawing military forces from the city while deploying police and judicial bodies to the capital of North Darfur State.
But what does this signify?In a press conference held a few days ago, the official spokesperson for the Tasis Alliance Forces, Fateh Qurshi, stated that their military units had begun the practical phase of withdrawal from central Al-Fashir as the process unfolds progressively, within a comprehensive plan to hand over security responsibilities to the Federal Police in the coming days.
The step, according to Qurshi, aims to allow the civilian Federal Police to take full charge of securing the city, leaving it to civil society organizations, regional and international bodies, and all those providing humanitarian assistance to the victims of war.
Yesterday, Wednesday, and today, Thursday, circulating footage on social media platforms and television channels showed buses transporting humanitarian aid being warmly received by civilians.
Additional videos filmed by Sudanese citizens depicted scenes of normal movement through the city and its markets.
Protection of Public InstitutionsCommenting on the withdrawal of military forces to the outskirts of Al-Fashir, Al-Haqiqa TV correspondent Ahmad Saeed Shaw stated in his report that the deployment of the Federal Police and judicial bodies aims to protect public institutions and civilians, while providing space for medical and engineering teams still working to clear streets of mines, facilitating the return of residents and the restoration of normal life.
Over recent days, Sudanese newspapers, including Al-Rakoba, along with eyewitnesses, have documented videos showing the Tasis Alliance Forces allowing trucks loaded with aid to enter Al-Fashir.
The first humanitarian convoys carrying food and medical supplies arrived in the city a week ago, following weeks of worsening humanitarian conditions due to ongoing clashes.
Hopes have since risen that the entry of aid will continue regularly to alleviate civilian suffering.The Sudan Founding Alliance (Tasis) had earlier confirmed an improvement in conditions in Al-Fashir and Bara, two cities recently brought under its control, also asserting that it was nearing control of El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State.
Alaa al-Din Awad Naqd, spokesperson for the Tasis Alliance, said that its forces and the Peace Government institutions were continuing efforts to improve conditions in both cities, noting the arrival of numerous humanitarian trucks carrying food, medical supplies, and medical teams, along with civil society initiatives.
In response to widespread popular calls for a truce paving the way toward ending the war, the Tasis Alliance Forces announced their agreement to the humanitarian ceasefire proposed by the Quartet Countries — the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt — in order to address the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of the war and strengthen civilian protection, through completing the terms of the humanitarian truce to ensure the swift delivery of aid to all Sudanese people.At the same time, the Tasis Forces expressed their anticipation for the implementation of the agreement and the immediate commencement of discussions on the arrangements for a cessation of hostilities and the governing principles of Sudan’s political process — aiming to address the root causes of conflict, end the suffering of the Sudanese people, and create a conducive environment for a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace through mutual commitment of all parties.
Hopes Dashed by AirstrikesMillions of Sudanese, however, pin broad hopes on the Port Sudan army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his Islamist allies responding to calls for a truce.
Yet, he has renewed his commitment to the option of war, disregarding all mediation efforts.
On Thursday, Port Sudan army commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan announced the continuation of combat operations and efforts to secure the state’s borders to their utmost extent.
He declared, “This battle is the army’s battle; therefore, we are confident that this people will not be defeated, and anyone who fights in the name of this people will neither be defeated nor broken.”
The statement signals a clear rejection of all de-escalation efforts, whether initiated by the international Quartet or domestically.
These statements culminate a series of military strikes carried out by the Port Sudan army and Islamist factions on markets, hospitals, and civilian sites across Darfur and Kordofan, including a displacement center in Kadugli, South Kordofan, resulting in casualties among them children.According to Al-Jamaheer newspaper, eyewitnesses reported that the Port Sudan army’s drones conducted several air raids on the city of Umm Badir in North Kordofan late last October, targeting a residential neighborhood near the grain mills market, killing and injuring several civilians.
Umm Badir lies on the border between North Kordofan and North Darfur states, about 600 kilometers from the capital, Khartoum.
The area is rich in natural and mineral resources and serves as a major center for gold trade and mining in Sudan.Weeks ago, the Quartet Mechanism had called for a nationwide ceasefire in Sudan for a period of three months, outlining a roadmap for resolving the crisis — including the exclusion of the Muslim Brotherhood from Sudan’s future.
This proposal was met with outright rejection by the Islamist movement allied with the Port Sudan army.
A total of 170 prominent Sudanese figures appealed to the Quartet — the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt — to exert maximum pressure on the warring parties to negotiate and reach a peace agreement that would end the catastrophe facing the Sudanese people since April 15, 2023.
The memorandum was delivered on Tuesday evening to the foreign ministers of the Quartet nations, also as a briefing to the United Nations Secretary-General, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, members of the UN Security Council, members of the African Peace and Security Council, and the Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
The signatories called for the full adoption of the Quartet’s roadmap by both the UN Security Council and the African Peace and Security Council, granting them authority to take decisive measures to protect civilians through all means available under international law.