Public Opinion Trends Survey On the Resumption of Jeddah Forum Negotiations 22 October 2023
* Media outlets were dominated by a circulated message that next Thursday the negotiations of Jeddah Forum will resume, pointing out that Ambassador Daniel Robenstin will replace Ambassador John Goodfery in leading the US delegation, and that the Saudi-,USA mediation affirmed that the negotiations will be in 3 levels i.e. the humanitarian assistance, separation of the political dossier from the military and security one.
The message affirmed that the mediation will adapt a new approach for the negotiations process between the two parties to stop war.
* Two hours after the widespread of the above message, the media outlets aired a video in which general Kabbashi was addressing army officers in Port Sudan that the Sudanese Army delegation will travel to Jeddah on Thursday to resume the negotiations
* Later on the open media outlets public a statement attributed to a military source in which he denied that General Kabbashi spoke about Jeddah Forum and that the video published was old affirming that General Kabbashi did speak about ant negotiations with the RSF militia in his last tour in Wadi Sayidna and Port Sudan.
* In the light of the above leakages the Arab Center of Press Services and Public Opinion Studies Network conducted an electronic survey on the public opinion trends concentrating on WhatsApp groups in Khartoum and other states and amongst expatriates in Gulf states. The survey resulted to,:
1. Considerable number think that the leakages by that way affirms the involvement of the RSF media groups in airing the video to create division in the national rank which supports the Sudanese Army.
2. The public opinion trends on the denial of the negotiations timing attributed to the military source said that the military source did deny the timing of the negotiations, but denied the talk attributed to the Deputy Commander in Chief of the Sudanese Army, a matter that might point that the option of resuming the negotiations is possible if not more likely.
3. Public Opinion trends pointed out that the upcoming negotiations – if held – agree on a long term ceasefire, the RSF will take advantage of that by bringing more weapons and troops to the battlefield.
4. Public Opinion trends predicted that the negotiations might aim at finding a new role for FFC entities in the upcoming stage.
6. Some of the public opinion trends believe that the upcoming negotiations – if held – aims at preserving the remaining of the RSF in the political equation.
5. Some public opinion trends expressed satisfaction that the upcoming negotiations – if held – aims at stopping war and finding safe exit to RSF leaders and fighters.
6. The surveys conducted in Khartoum State neighborhoods os Alsahafs, Kalakala, Karrari resulted that the citizens do not expect that the negotiations will take place because the desolved RSF militia is about to collapse a matter that makes the military solution the best option.
7. Some if the public opinion trends expressed satisfaction that the international pressures in the reason behind the return of the negotiations teams to Jeddah Forum a matter which the Sudanese Army could not reject in principle especially if it comes to humanitarian assistance issues.
8. Some of the public opinion trends welcome the idea of resuming the negotiations as the two parties failed to win the war in the battlefield, so the return to the negotiations table is better and will ease the humanitarian sufferings of the IDPs, refugees, and those besieged inside Khartoum State.
Arab Centre for Press Services and Public Opinion Studies
A Neutral Independent Media Center