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China to Sponsor First Peace Conference in Horn of Africa

The Ethiopian Foreign Minister during his meeting with China’s envoy to the Horn of Africa. (Facebook)
The Ethiopian Foreign Minister during his meeting with China’s envoy to the Horn of Africa. (Facebook)
    Cairo, Addis Ababa - Asharq Al-Awsat
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China to Sponsor First Peace Conference in Horn of Africa

The Ethiopian Foreign Minister during his meeting with China’s envoy to the Horn of Africa. (Facebook)
The Ethiopian Foreign Minister during his meeting with China’s envoy to the Horn of Africa. (Facebook)

China’s newly appointed envoy to the Horn of Africa Xue Bing said his country will sponsor the first peace conference in the first half of 2022, in an attempt to resolve regional conflicts.

China is seeking to play a more active role in the key strategic conflict-hit region.

Earlier this year, Beijing appointed Xue, a veteran diplomat who had served as the ambassador to Papua New Guinea and in various countries in Africa, the Americas and Oceania.

Xue kicked off an African tour last week, including Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia and Kenya, and his next stops will be Uganda and South Sudan.

At a press conference in Nairobi, Xue said the peace conference aims to provide a platform for the regional countries to settle their differences through negotiations.

Kenya and Ethiopia offered to host the talks, Ethiopia’s official news agency ENA reported.

Xue revealed during his visit to Addis Ababa that China seeks to bring regional countries together to address challenges facing security and development.

He tackled the Initiative of Peaceful Development in the Horn of Africa, which China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had previously proposed during a trip to Africa.

The initiative aims at supporting countries in the region to achieve long-term stability, prosperity and development in an independent way.

The African region is currently roiled by turmoil, including the Tigray conflict north of Ethiopia, which killed thousands of civilians and displaced millions, as well as the violence in Somalia and the Kenyan-Ethiopian disputes.

Beijing has been seeking for years to expand its influence in Africa.

In October 2000, it launched the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation to promote trade and investment relations between China and African countries.

It also established a military base in Djibouti to protect its interests, with a contingent of up to 10,000 soldiers.

The Horn of Africa enjoys several resources that attract investments, prompting competition and struggle for influence between China and the United States.

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Hemedti Issues Strict Orders to his Forces to Protect Sudanese People

People collect clean water provided by a charity organization to people in Gedaref in eastern Sudan on August 30, 2024. (AFP)
People collect clean water provided by a charity organization to people in Gedaref in eastern Sudan on August 30, 2024. (AFP)
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Hemedti Issues Strict Orders to his Forces to Protect Sudanese People

People collect clean water provided by a charity organization to people in Gedaref in eastern Sudan on August 30, 2024. (AFP)
People collect clean water provided by a charity organization to people in Gedaref in eastern Sudan on August 30, 2024. (AFP)

Commander of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, also known as Hemedti, issued on Saturday strict orders to his forces to protect civilians and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid in line with the commitments his delegation made at the recent peace talks in Geneva.

In a post on the X platform, he said he issued an “extraordinary administrative order to all the forces” to protect civilians and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.

He called on all commanders to abide by the orders in line with international humanitarian law. Any violators will be held accountable.

The RSF has been accused of widespread violations against civilians in areas under their control. They have also been accused of committing massacres in Gezira state in central Sudan. The RSF have denied the accusations.

Hemedti announced in August the formation of a “civilian protection force” that immediately assumed its duties in the Khartoum and Gezira states.

According to head of the RSF delegation to the Geneva talks, Omar Hamdan, the force is formed of 27 combat vehicles, backed by forces that have experience in cracking down on insubordination.

Hemedti stressed last week his commitment to all the outcomes of the Geneva talks, starting with ensuring the delivery of aid to those in need.

The RSF and army agreed to open two safe routes for the deliveries and to protect civilians to ease their suffering after nearly a year and a half of war.

The mediators in Geneva received commitments from the RSF that it would order the fighters against committing any violations against civilians in areas under their control.

Meanwhile, aid deliveries continued through the Adre border crossing with Chad. They are headed to people in Darfur in western Sudan.

Fifty-nine aid trucks carrying aid supplies crossed from Chad to Darfur, said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on Saturday.

“The supplies are estimated to reach nearly 195,000 people in acute need in different parts of the country,” it added.

“About 128 aid trucks carrying supplies for an estimated 355,000 people are being prepared to cross into Sudan in the coming days and weeks to ensure a steady flow of supplies. Despite the surge of supplies through Adre, humanitarian partners have warned that ongoing rains and floods have damaged three major bridges in the region, limiting movements within Darfur,” it revealed.

“While progress has been made on the Adre border crossing, funding resources are depleting, and humanitarian funding is urgently required to sustain the supplies chain,” it urged.