Hager Ali / Gerrit Kurtz

Stopping the War in Sudan: Civilian Actors, not Just the Parties to the Conflict, Should Lead the Peace Negotiations

SWP Comment | 2023


  • Abstract

    Sudan’s two main security forces are fighting each other. A swift military outcome is not to be expected in view of the relatively balanced power between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This strategic stalemate means that the chances for successful mediation are not hopeless. For this to happen, how­ever, Sudan’s international partners would have to abandon the approach that domi­nated negotiations for decades, namely giving violent actors a leading role in nego­tiations. Civilian actors formed a broad anti-war coalition that should set the tone for peace talks from the very beginning. This could well be in the interest of the parties to the conflict, as they will need a third actor to arbitrate their relationship in the future. The German government should strive for stronger coordination of the inter­national mediation approaches under civilian leadership from Sudan, while the Euro­pean Union (EU) should initiate constrains on the financial leeway of Sudan’s violent actors.

    Series

    SWP Comment

    Series Number

    28

    Series ISSN

    2747-5107

    Number of Pages

    6

    Publisher

    Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik

    Pages

    1-6

    SRF, Schweizer Rundfunk | Interview | 05/09/2024

    SRFglobal: Sudan zwischen Goldgier und Gewalt

    Zwei Generäle bringen den Sudan an den Rand des Abgrunds. Es geht um persönliche Ambitionen, um Rohstoffe und Häfen, um den Einfluss ausländischer Mächte – und um ethnische Säuberungen. Die Folgen sind eine Hungerkatastrophe und mehr als zwölf Millionen Vertriebene. In der Sendung «#SRFglobal» mit Moderator Sebastian Ramspeck äussern sich der ehemalige Uno-Sonderbeauftragte Volker Perthes sowie die Politikwissenschaftlerin Hager Ali.