Former Sudanese prime minister Abdalla Hamdok said civilian voices are being formally included in international efforts to end Sudan’s devastating civil war for the first time as Berlin prepares to host a conference marking the conflict’s third anniversary.
The international ministerial conference on Sudan will take place on April 15. It follows meetings in Paris in 2024, marking the first anniversary of the war, and in London in 2025, marking the second, neither of which produced a ceasefire or a credible political framework.
Germany, the African Union, the EU, France, the UK and the US are co-hosting the conference. Foreign ministers and officials from those countries and bodies are expected in Berlin alongside representatives of the UN, major humanitarian organisations and a structured civilian forum involving Sudanese civil society groups.
Mr Hamdok, who heads the Somoud coalition, said the inclusion of a civilian segment in Berlin marks a shift from earlier conferences, where civilians were largely absent.
“The only assured way is to go through a political process that will address the root causes of the conflict,” he told The National in a phone interview before traveling to Berlin for the conference, adding that the civilian delegation expects to push for humanitarian access, protection of civilians and a political track to end the war.
“We have been saying from day one, there is no military solution to this war, and none of the belligerents will be able to achieve outright victory on the other.
“We expect to come up with some sort of declaration bringing together a wide range of civilian representation against the war and calling for peace.”
The fighting began in April 2023 when tension between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by Gen Mohamed Dagalo, broke into open war.
The confrontation followed weeks of mounting disputes over plans to integrate the RSF into the regular army as part of a stalled transition to civilian rule, quickly spiralling into a nationwide war.
Mr Hamdok had served as Sudan’s civilian prime minister after the removal of longtime ruler Omar Al Bashir in 2019, during a fragile transition shared with the military and the RSF. But Mr Hamdok was removed in the 2021 military coup led by Gen Al Burhan and Gen Dagalo, which collapsed the civilian political process and paved the way for the rival military forces to turn on each other.
Neither the Sudanese army nor the RSF has been invited to the Berlin meeting.
Sudan’s military-led government has protested the decision, saying it rejected the organisation of the conference without its approval or consultation on all related arrangements.
Ceasefire remains elusive
Observers say expectations for a peace breakthrough in Berlin next week are low.
Even a humanitarian truce – called for by the US, the UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, collectively known as the Quad – is out of reach.
The Quad is the latest in a series of international initiatives aimed at ending the war and is widely seen as the most promising diplomatic track. But obstacles persist.
The RSF has verbally accepted the Quad road map beginning with a humanitarian truce, but neither side has formally committed, and fighting has continued to intensify. Gen Al Burhan has said he cannot accept the plan unless the RSF agrees to conditions that effectively amount to surrender.
“It is the first time that we are having an initiative [the Quad] that has clear timelines, principles and milestones,” said Mr Hamdok.
“It is also the first time we are seeing a clear understanding of who the spoilers are and naming them – I am talking about the Islamists and their role in destroying the country. Having said that, I don’t think we have changed much. The crisis is still in place.”
Mr Hamdok said the Quad talks have now been stalled for a while “due to differences among the four”, but added: “They are talking. Let’s hope it moves forward, because it is the most direct and promising initiative.”
Islamists tighten grip on army
Sudan’s military leadership has been facing mounting scrutiny after announcing plans to integrate Islamist militias into the SAF, a move analysts say could entrench hardline influence.
The Islamist movement ousted in Sudan’s 2019 uprising appears to be backing prolonged military rule as it seeks a political comeback, having deployed fighters in the country's war.
This month, Gen Al Burhan named his second-in-command Gen Yasser Al Atta as his chief of staff. Gen Al Atta is known to have been a supporter of fighters who served in Islamist militias loyal to Al Bashir who have joined the army in its war against the RSF.
“Not only the army, but all state institutions are clearly captured by the Islamists,” said Mr Hamdok. “The appointment of Al Atta is a step in that direction, signalling an attempt to prolong the war.”
Mr Hamdok noted that Islamist factions have no intention of stopping the conflict, adding that they have a clear objective: “Either this war brings them back to power or destroys the country.”
“The manifestation of this will be more instability and fragmentation in Sudan,” he said.
He added that the consequences would extend beyond the country.
“Sudan sits in a very fragile region, and this will destabilise the entire area. It could also turn Sudan into a fertile ground for terrorism, linking Al Shabaab in Somalia, Boko Haram in West Africa and ISIS in the Sahel.”
He also warned of broader global implications, including migration pressures on Europe and increased instability in the Red Sea region.
Sudanese civilians bear the brunt
Since the war started three years ago, about 14 million people have been displaced, according to a recent UN report, with nine million inside Sudan and 4.4 million across borders.
The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), a US-based group that tracks conflicts around the world, estimates that at least 59,000 people have been killed. The UN says widespread human rights crimes continue, including sexual violence, forced recruitment, arbitrary arrests and massacres. The two sides have been accused by the world body of war crimes.
“Civilians are clearly suffering the most in this war,” said Mr Hamdok. “We condemn these crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by both sides.”
He cited repeated attacks on civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, markets, mosques and residential areas.
Last week, a drone strike hit a wedding party, killing at least 30 civilians, including women and children, in the paramilitary-controlled town of Kutum, North Darfur. The strike was the latest in an intensifying dronefare between the army and the RSF.
This month, Doctors Without Borders said the RSF launched two drone strikes on Al Jabalain Hospital in the White Nile province, hitting an operating theatre and a maternity ward.
A surge in drone strikes in the Sudanese region of Kordofan has also taken a growing toll on civilians and impeded aid operations, humanitarian workers have said.
“There is some assistance trickling in, but there are many obstacles from both sides to humanitarian access. Food is being used as a weapon of war,” said Mr Hamdok.
“We need continuous international support for internally displaced people and refugees. What has been provided is appreciated, but it is far short of real needs. What is happening is a stain on humanity,” he added.
