While we acknowledge the urgent need for a ceasefire to halt the relentless violence, we remain deeply concerned that yet again, the international community is prioritizing short-term political deals between armed actors over a long-term peace process rooted in inclusion, justice, and accountability.
Sudan is facing one of the world’s worst man made humanitarian catastrophes
- Over 12.4 million people are displaced within and outside the country. (IOM Sudan Displacement Tracking Matrix, July 2025)
- More than 24.8 million people face acute food insecurity.( IPC Sudan Food Security Update, May 2025)
- An estimated 30 million are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. (OCHA Sudan Humanitarian Snapshot, June 2025)
- Widespread and systematic conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) especially against women and girls has been reported, particularly in areas controlled by armed groups, with survivors facing near-total impunity and lack of access to care. (UN Office of the SRSG-SVC 2024),
Yet, the very people who suffer the most—Sudanese civilians in general, women, and civil society—remain sidelined from critical discussions meant to determine their future.
This failed peace talk, like the Jeddah platform before it, reflects a troubling pattern: international peace efforts continue to engage only the warring parties, effectively rewarding violence and excluding those with the greatest stake in peace. Sudan has a long history of marginalizing civilians and civilian-led peace initiatives, while legitimizing armed actors, a formula that has consistently led to fragile outcomes and renewed cycles of conflict.
The Need for Sustainable Inclusive Peace
A ceasefire is only a beginning—not an end. It must be tied to a credible, inclusive political process that brings together a wide range of actors, like: Sudanese civil society organizations, women’s groups and peacebuilders, resistance committees, Emergency Response Rooms and other frontline humanitarian responders, displaced persons and local leaders, trade unions, and professional associations.
This is not only a matter of principle, it is pragmatic too. Sustainable peace cannot be built behind closed doors with generals alone. Time and again, we have seen that when civilians are excluded, peace agreements fail.
Moreover, while talks collapse and ceasefires falter, civilians continue to bear the brunt of war crimes and mass displacement with no protection guarantees. The current peace initiatives offer no credible mechanism to prevent further atrocities, nor to ensure accountability for the grave violations committed by all parties.
A Way Out of Conflict
We do acknowledge efforts to bring to the table regional and international actors that hold significant influence in Sudan’s war. These actors must now use that influence to push for an inclusive peace process—one that centers Sudanese civilians and not only competing political and military interests.
We urge international actors—including the U.S., Egypt, the United Arabic Emirates, and Saudi Arabia—to recalibrate their approach. A durable peace in Sudan will require more than power-sharing between armed elites. It must reflect the voices, needs, and aspirations of the Sudanese people. The cost of resolving the crisis now is much lower than the cost of resolving it tomorrow, and any delay in addressing the Sudanese crisis may cast its shadow over the entire region amid the widespread instability across the region.
Concrete Measures
We call for:
- A civilian-centered peace framework with strong, direct representation of women and civil society organizations.
- International accountability measures to deter ongoing atrocities and protect civilians.
- Coordinated diplomacy that unites external actors behind inclusive and rights-based principles—not geopolitical alignments.
Sudan’s wide-scale war cannot be resolved through military means or partial solutions. A comprehensive ceasefire, protection of civilians, and unimpeded humanitarian aid are urgently needed. Regional and international actors must unite—or at the very least, coordinate—their efforts, along with the various initiatives, to launch a civilian-centered, broad-based political process that is inclusive and truly representative of grassroots peacebuilding efforts. While top-down efforts may secure temporary ceasefires, only bottom-up, inclusive approaches—rooted in local participation—can truly end wars in Sudan and build sustainable peace. This process must address the root causes of the conflict and pave the way for a genuine civilian democratic transition.
The Sudanese people deserve more than a paused war—they deserve a just peace. It is time the international community puts everything in place to achieve this.
