Massad Boulos Should not Shake Hands With Sudan’s Generals:

 

Massad Boulos Should not Shake Hands With Sudan’s Generals:

Abdallah Greyda

عبدالله قريضة

Sudan today is a nation at the crossroads of history, and tragedy and opportunity, and Massad Boulos at the epicenter of this storm. Since April 2023, when the Sudanese Armed Force (SAF) and the Rapid Support Force (RSF) tore the country apart, millions have been displaced, thousands killed and entire cities were reduced to rubble.

The humanitarian toll is staggering, since Darfur – long hunted by cycles of violence- has once become a portrait of devastation, with women and children bearing the brunt of atrocities. Amidst this chaos, one fact is crystal clear: any peace process that rewards the Generals will fail. It is no brainer that sustainable stability won’t emerge from deals that legitimize violence. Only a civilian government anchored in popular legitimacy can ensure that Sudan’s Security and military institutions are disciplined, accountable, and capable of preventing extremist groups from exploiting the chaos to seize power.

The Sudan Quad’s recent statement offers a platform for negotiation, but it is only a tip of the iceberg. While it lays the groundwork for dialogue and a potential ceasefire, it does not guarantee accountability. The generals, if left unchecked, could exploit the platform to consolidate influence, turning Sudan into a homecoming party for impunity. Boulos’s challenge is to transform this platform into an actionable strategy that embeds justice at every level, preventing the Generals from converting their battlefield victories into political power. Peace that leaves warlords unaccountable in not peace – it is a May-to-December romance – between power and impunity, temporarily halting conflict while leaving the underlying structures of oppression and violence intact.

At the heart of this task is the insistence that no military leader implicated in atrocities is allowed to assume political office or control economic resources. Figures like Burhan or Hemeti must understand the age-old logic of power through violence is no longer tolerable. Allowing them to walk away with de facto authority would slam the door on justice and risk reproducing a militarized state, where bullets, not ballots determine governance. The recent reports of mass executions, sexual violence, and ethnically targeted killings, particularly in Darfur, provide a stark illustration of the stakes. Every now and then, history offers a chance to break cycles of violence – this is one of those moments, and Boulos must seize it with laser focus.

Diplomatic leverage will be essential, and Boulos must wield like a scalpel. Regional allies, including those who have provided financial and military support to the RSF, must understand that their cooperation comes with non-negotiable conditions. Numbered by competing interests, Sudan cannot afford conventional methods. It takes two to tango, and every partner must align with the principles that no military figure can manipulate the peace process for personal gain, and to ignore this is to accept a pervasive myth that military actors can be co-opted without consequence, a notion that has been proven repeatedly false in Sudan’s history.

Civil society is a linchpin in this equation, youth movements, women’s organizations and local advocacy groups provide the golden mean, balancing military power and ensuring that governance is not hijacked by the very forces responsible for the nation’s collapse. supporting these actors requires more than symbolic gestures – it demands sustainable financial, political, and technical support to enable them to shape policy and hold security institutions accountable. This is not just idealistic rhetoric; it is strategy grounded in realism. Disciplined institution can only – and exclusively- emerge when civil oversight is empowered to enforce norms, monitor abuses, and demand transparency from a state apparatus historically dominated by military elites.

The management of Sudan’s strategic resources is equally critical. Gold, ports, gum Arabic and agricultural assists cannot remain under the control of the warlords who have demonstrated a willingness to exploit them for personal or political gain. Transparent and civilian-led management of these resources transforms them from tools of predation into instruments of stability. For instance, Sudan produces over 70% of the world’s gum Arabic a commodity critical for global soft drink and cosmetic industries. Recent reports reveal that RSF imposed extortionate checkpoints, requiring traders to pay bribes to transport goods. Left unchecked, these resources could be leveraged to strengthen the Generals’ positions or to facilitate foreign interference, from gold smuggling to illicit arms flows. Proper oversight is essential for domestic stability and furthermore for preventing Sudan from becoming a chessboard for geopolitical maneuvering by actors like Russia, Iran, or the UAE.

Justice must be embedded in the peace process, rather than treated as an afterthought. Investigations into massacres, and crimes against civilians are the bedrock of credibility and legitimacy. Embedding justice into the political framework turns the veil of ignorance over suffering into actionable accountability, the goal is clear; to ensure victims witness real consequences for perpetrators, signaling that the cycle of violence can no longer reproduce itself. Civilian-led governance ensure that security and military forces are held to the rule of law, while civilians – not Generals – determine the parameters of justice.

Boulos’ strategy should also consider the regional dimension; for Sudan instability reverberates across the Sahel, the Red sea, and of course the Horn of Africa. The Iranian military support and influence and UAE-backed factions each pose distinct challenges, with competing interests in ports, trade routes and natural resources. Diplomatic pressure therefor must extend beyond Sudan’s boarders, allies must be persuaded that their engagement should fit the bill of accountability and restraint. Any compromise that rewards generals risks systemic consequences across the region, threating the stability of neighboring states.

The rationale for prioritizing civilian governance is both moral and strategic. Rewarding the generals would reproduce a militarized state, while empowering civil society flips the narrative. Selfless deeds may never exist in isolation, but a strategy anchored in justice and popular legitimacy can sweeten the deal for long-term stability, giving Sudan a fighting chance to break historic cycles of predation.

Ultimately, Massad Boulos’ mission is beyond mediation, it extends to steering Sudan toward political transition, a transition that can create structural conditions for durable peace. Failure to achieve such peace would fertile ground for extremist groups. Occasionally, history presents a chance to end recurring violence; this is one of those rare opportunities, and Sudan has the potential to turn it into meaningful victory over its long-standing suffering.

 

المصدر: صحيفة التغيير السودانية