{"id":59922,"date":"2026-01-13T19:17:33","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T16:17:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/?p=59922"},"modified":"2026-01-13T19:17:33","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T16:17:33","slug":"peace-efforts-in-sudan-will-fail-unless-civilians-are-finally-put-first","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/13\/peace-efforts-in-sudan-will-fail-unless-civilians-are-finally-put-first\/","title":{"rendered":"Peace Efforts in Sudan Will Fail Unless Civilians Are Finally Put First"},"content":{"rendered":"

Abdelwahab El-Affendi<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

A ceasefire stained by massacres, the obstruction of aid routes, and the targeting of humanitarian convoys all stand as evidence that agreements built around armed groups leave communities unprotected and expose them to further atrocities.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Displaced Sudanese from the Heglig area in western Sudan wait for humanitarian assistance at the Abu Al-Naja displacement camp in Gedaref State, about 420 kilometers east of Khartoum, on December 30, 2025 (Abdel Rahman Gomaa\/AFP).<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Most peace proposals aimed at resolving Sudan\u2019s current devastating war have systematically sidelined civilians.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This neglect goes beyond avoiding the issue of justice for victims of genocide and rape; it extends to a refusal to prioritize the protection of civilians from atrocities.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nearly all approaches have focused on securing a ceasefire between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), leaving vulnerable civilians at the mercy of armed actors. The latest U.S. initiative is no exception.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yet all major atrocities\u2014from the genocide in El Geneina in April 2023 to the mass killing in El Fasher last October\u2014occurred not during active fighting between the two armed parties, but in its absence, under ceasefire conditions.<\/strong><\/p>\n

All major massacres took place during ceasefires, not during battles.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The El Geneina genocide occurred before the war spread to Darfur, when weaker SAF units remained confined to their barracks while RSF forces carried out mass killings. The ongoing tragedy in El Fasher unfolded after the army and its allies withdrew from the city.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In both cases, a ceasefire was in place when the RSF committed its worst crimes. What was needed at the time was sufficient deterrence to protect civilians. Two years of experience have shown that ceasefires without enforceable guarantees to halt abuses do nothing but expose civilians to the gravest violations.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cA Crime Scene\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Months before the El Fasher catastrophe, I recall telling a senior European diplomat\u2014during a discussion on Sudan\u2019s humanitarian needs\u2014that the most urgent requirement was to strengthen the Sudanese army\u2019s capacity to defend threatened cities, so they would not meet the same fate as El Fasher.<\/strong><\/p>\n

But international bodies ignored the obvious conclusion: a \u201cceasefire\u201d without guarantees to stop atrocities amounts, in practice, to complicity in serious crimes against civilians.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Khartoum, the brief and partial pause in fighting during the early weeks of the war actually prompted civilian protests, as it gave the RSF more time and space to target residential neighborhoods.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Still, international actors continued to repeat the same demand\u2014ceasefire\u2014mechanically and unimaginatively, disregarding the fact that this approach effectively made them partners in crime.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The sole partial exception may have been the Jeddah Declaration of May 2023, which was never implemented. Although sponsored by Saudi Arabia and the United States, the \u201chumanitarian protocol\u201d on which it was based was drafted by an informal African group led by former South African President Thabo Mbeki. Yet no one pressed for its implementation\u2014not the sponsors, not the African Union, nor any other international actor.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kamil Idris\u2019s Plan: Limited Progress, Political Naivety<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The most recent plan proposed by Sudanese Prime Minister Kamil Idris appeared to make some progress toward curbing atrocities against civilians. However, it was na\u00efve in assuming that the RSF would respond and surrender simply because it was called upon to do so.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The plan was unveiled in a surprise address to the UN Security Council on December 23, 2025. It appeared underdeveloped, having been preceded by neither sufficient domestic consultation nor coordination with regional and international partners. Sudanese public opinion only learned of it when the speech was delivered.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The plan included:<\/strong><\/p>\n