Saferworld statement: In solidarity with the people of Sudan

As the violent conflict in Sudan enters its third year, the war is far from over, with devastating consequences for the Sudanese people. An immediate ceasefire, access to humanitarian aid, and protection for frontline responders and civilians are critical to reduce the impact of the conflict.

Foreign ministers are in London this week for a high-level conference hosted by the United Kingdom, the European Union, the African Union, France and Germany on 15 April, the second anniversary of the Sudan conflict. While Sudan’s army has retaken the capital and most of Khartoum state, the war is far from over as it enters its third year and risks merging further with conflict in neighbouring countries, especially South Sudan and Chad – with dire consequences for regional stability. It is critical that the ministerial conference results in urgent and sustained high-level political engagement and concrete action. Pressure must be brought to bear on all parties to the conflict and their sponsors to ensure an immediate ceasefire. The international community must take immediate steps to halt the violence, end attacks against civilians, and support calls for accountability and justice. Most importantly, strategies for peace – including political processes – must meaningfully engage with and have Sudanese citizens and civil society at their core. This is critical for any chance of sustainable and inclusive peace.

The people of Sudan are enduring a humanitarian catastrophe, with the highest number of people in need ever recorded and half of the country facing severe hunger. While international aid has been deliberately blocked, restricted and manipulated, local responders – including women- and youth-led groups, mutual aid groups, civil society organisations and community-based organisations – have provided a lifeline, especially in the areas most affected by violence, including Darfur, Khartoum, Sinar and South Kordofan. Their role cannot be overstated. It is essential that they are supported to continue this work, including through direct and flexible funding that enables an adaptable response to a complex and volatile situation. It is also crucial that aid strategies and decisions centre this essential role and that support is responsive to the priorities of people in distinct localised contexts. Given the scale of the response required and to prevent the further spread of famine, it is vital that safe and unimpeded humanitarian access allows the most vulnerable to access critical support and that funding is urgently mobilised to enable a multi-faceted response. This is particularly pressing given the direct consequences of recent cuts by the United States Government to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and its lifesaving programming in Sudan.

Sudanese responders, volunteers and aid practitioners are increasingly exposed to grave and life-threatening situations. As territory has been taken and retaken, armed actors on both sides have specifically targeted aid workers and local responders. The brutal killing of civilians and aid workers in Zamzam camp on 12 April 2025 by RSF shows the immense risks that Sudanese continue to face. These attacks are part of a broader assault on Sudan’s civilians and civil society. Tactics such as ethnic targeting, sexual and gender-based violence and torture have been used as weapons of war. The protection of civilians is an urgent priority, and there must be robust engagement to ensure that parties to the conflict clearly understand that perpetrators will be held to account for violations of International Humanitarian Law.

As the war enters its third year, there is a heightened risk of increasing fragmentation, with the instrumentalisation of disinformation and hate speech alongside widespread availability of small arms and the risk of further mobilisation of armed groups along ethnic lines. While support for peacebuilding has been deprioritised by donor governments, locally-led peace processes are more important than ever. Even as the war has raged, local peacebuilders have rapidly engaged to sustain emergency response, secure temporary local ceasefires, urge against mobilisation and recruitment of armed civilians, and sustain community resilience and social protection. Civil society must be supported in their efforts to coalesce around an alternative, non-violent, peaceful, civilian-led future for the country.

An alternative path to Sudan’s devastating trajectory will depend on actions that show genuine solidarity with the people of Sudan. Besides the urgent measures outlined above to halt immediate violence, destruction and suffering, the only hope for sustainable peace and avoiding a swift return to violent oppression lies with ensuring that the Sudanese people - who have already demonstrated their determined will for freedom and justice - are allowed to lead the way in rebuilding trust in their communities, defining the future of their country, and realising their collective vision for peace. 

Read our expert analysis piece: Pragmatic politics doesn’t mean giving up on a more hopeful future for Sudan. 

Read more about our work in Sudan.