The recent mass atrocities at Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps, along with the elite-driven and exclusionary London Sudan Conference, only underscore the international community’s failure to respond meaningfully to this escalating crisis. While political actors meet behind closed doors, Sudanese civil society, those most attuned to the needs of communities, remain shut out of the conversations that will shape the country’s future.
Peace Direct and our Sudanese partners call on influential governments, donors, the United Nations (UN), European Union (EU) and international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) to:
Despite arrests, surveillance, and systemic repression, our local partners continue to deliver life-saving aid, document human rights violations, and sustain community resilience. Their efforts are the backbone of survival and the foundation for a peaceful future, but they need international solidarity and resources to continue.
Peace Direct is alarmed by the escalation of violence that the Sudanese people have endured since April 2023. Earlier this month Sudan marked the 2-year anniversary of this growing conflict.
Most recently, Sudan’s largest camp for internally displaced civilians the Zamzam camp in the Darfur region, was attacked by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), killing hundreds of people and forcing further displacement. Now, over 150,000 lives have been lost, 12 million people have been forcibly displaced – making it the world’s largest displacement crisis, and more than 30.4 million people need urgent humanitarian assistance.
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Our local partners in Sudan have shared how the ongoing conflict is affecting their ability to work. Civil society is continuously becoming a direct and indirect target of all armed parties, they are increasingly experiencing the use of arbitrary arrest, hate speech, and passport confiscation. In regions such as South Kordofan, where civil society has worked to foster social cohesion, the rise of hate speech particularly being directly targeted towards women’s groups has significantly increased thus diminishing the role of civil society.
In response to this, the unfolding humanitarian crisis and escalation of militarisation, our partners and most of civil society have shifted a major part of their focus entirely to emergency relief and humanitarian aid. Some women groups have also moved to working on women’s economic empowerment and public participation, reflecting the resilience of Sudanese communities. The ability of local peacebuilders and civil society actors to rapidly adapt to escalating situations, reminds us that local peacebuilders are a lifeline in times of crisis.
The impact of the war on civilians is compounded by that recent international funding cuts. The US provided half of all funding to Sudan in 2024, the loss of that funding will have a catastrophic humanitarian impact. Particularly impacted are the Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs), a coordinated social movement of local organisations who respond to the needs in the community.
ERR members face high risks, targeted by both RSF and SAF forces, thousands have been arrested and dozens killed. The ongoing international funding cuts are only further hindering their ability to provide rapid humanitarian assistance. There is an urgent need to shift resources and recognition towards local civil societies such as ERRs that are on the ground as principal agents.
In solidarity with our partners, we are calling for the international community to protect those providing aid, especially mutual aid groups and grassroots responders risking their lives to support communities. The international community must highlight and condemn the systemic oppression faced by the Sudanese civil society, including first responders and the grassroots groups and provide resource to combat misinformation.
In doing so, the international community must ensure that Sudanese civil society and peacebuilders are involved in high-level dialogue, negotiations and mediation aimed at achieving immediate ceasefire and building long-lasting peace in Sudan.
Local peacebuilders are a lifeline during times of crisis. Donate today to support their efforts today and call for lasting peace across the country.