Welcome back to This Week in Peace, our weekly summary of events in global peacebuilding.
For the first edition of 2024, we cover events in Gaza, Sudan, Mali, and the Horn of Africa.
This series is also a weekly newsletter! You can sign up here to get future editions directly every week, and stay up to date on peacebuilding around the world.
International focus on peace in Gaza
The new year did not bring an end to the war in Gaza. The monthslong conflict continues, with over 20,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, killed by Israeli airstrikes. Palestinians face an ongoing humanitarian crisis that has displaced nearly 2 million people, many of whom do not have regular access to food or medical care. Further complicating the outlook for peace is recent polls showing that a large majority of Israelis support the war, and a similar proportion of Palestinians support the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel. However, there is hope for a long-term peaceful solution, shared by many peace activists and former international diplomats. The scale and brutality of the war, and the attack that began it, has drawn international attention to the crisis, and led to broad consensus that a postwar solution must include a separate and independent Palestinian state. The role of international actors will be crucial in promoting a peaceful resolution to the wider conflict, and help to ensure that both Israelis and Palestinians can live their lives in peace.
You can read our past articles on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict here, as well as our recent video on peacebuilders working in Israel and the West Bank.
An opening for peace in Sudan?
In a positive sign for the possibility of peace in Sudan, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, recently announced that it would consider an immediate ceasefire with the Sudanese military. Dagalo, known as Hemedti, has led the RSF in a monthslong civil war with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), for control of the country. The RSF, which recently announced a joint declaration with a civilian group, has been accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, especially in the Darfur region. A peaceful end to the destructive conflict is necessary, as millions of Sudanese have been displaced by the fighting, which has divided the country and the capital of Khartoum. While there is reason to doubt the RSF’s commitment to peace given it’s actions in the current war and in past conflicts, an immediate ceasefire is desperately needed to prevent a humanitarian crisis from worsening, and this statement could present an opening for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
You can find our past stories on Sudan here.
Mali faces an uncertain future
Tuareg separatist forces in Mali rejected calls to engage in peace talks with the military government. Colonel Assimi Goita, the leader of the military junta that has ruled Mali since a 2020 coup, announced the creation of a national dialogue intended to resolve conflicts throughout the country. A 2015 peace accord between the government and Tuareg groups fell apart last year, while UN peacekeepers and French troops withdrew from the country. The rebels have suffered some recent losses, but continue to fight. Mali also faces an ongoing insurgency by jihadist groups, and a return to peaceful relations between the central government and Tuareg group is needed to prevent further violence.
You can read our past stories on Mali here.
Ethiopia avoids another conflict in the Horn of Africa
Ethiopia recently reached an agreement with the self-declared state of Somaliland to grant diplomatic recognition in exchange for access to a Red Sea port. This is a victory for Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and for peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Abiy’s recent rhetoric regarding Eritrean ports used by Ethiopia had raised fears of a military conflict between the two longtime rivals, who recently fought together against separatists in Tigray in a brutal war. While Somaliland is functionally autonomous, its independence is not recognized by Somalia, and this move could destabilize the region. However, the end of the threat of war between Ethiopia, the largest country on the Horn of Africa, and Eritrea, ruled by a highly militarized and repressive regime, is a positive development for peace in the region. Further diplomatic engagement to resolve issues such as the status of Somaliland is necessary to prevent future conflicts.
You can find past Peace News stories on Ethiopia here.
