After three years of civil war in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces military groups, with both vying for their own
kind of government control, peace talks still appear unlikely.


The international community, therefore, must use more than sanctions and donations to express its support for the Sudanese people. Allied powers of diplomacy must bring these rivals together before they damage the country beyond repair.

Rowing instability and conflict pivots continue to exacerbate catastrophe across Sudan. The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) remain uninterested in negotiating after three years of fighting, despite influencing “the largest displacement crisis in the world” as well as extensive famine. Whether a peaceful transition to a civilian government is the best course remains unclear, but the Sudanese people still deserve more solutions during this period of struggle.

Following the overthrow of Omar al-Bashir’s government in 2019

SAF General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his followers claimed that Sudanese Prime Minister Khamil al-Taib Idris had a constitutional right to lead in Bashir’s place, allied with the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated National Congress Party (NCP). As of 2023, the US has sanctioned the SAF for detainee torture, humanitarian aid interference, civilian mistreatment, starvation and chemical weapon proliferation. RFS leader Mohamed “Hamedti” Hamdan Daglo, considering these ongoing abuses, has emphasized that Sudan deserves its own civil administration, as life there is becoming increasingly difficult.

This infighting has gone on to displace over 14 million people

3.3 million of whom have inadvertently threatened neighboring country stability by fleeing across the Sudanese tri-border region into Libya, Chad and Egypt. While RSF elements have recently taken partial control of the Libya-Sudan boundary, eager to stop illicit trafficking via its roots, worsening tensions between Israel and Iran only further complicate their effort. If Sudanese allies go on ignoring ties between the SAF and Tehran, bloodshed from all parties could extend as far as the Red Sea, leaving every nation in the Horn of Africa a victim to violence.

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Additional donations or sanctions alone, therefore, may not deliver Sudan what peace it deserves. The African Union, US and UK must use more active diplomatic measures to bring al-Burham and Hemedti together as soon as possible. If these leaders cannot find common ground soon, hope for the Sudanese is all but uncertain.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.