International mediators, including the United States, Saudi Arabia, and the United Nations, have welcomed efforts by the warring parties in Sudan to facilitate humanitarian aid access to areas suffering from severe crises. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudanese Armed Forces have made commitments to allow humanitarian deliveries into critical regions like Darfur and Kordofan.
The Sudanese Armed Forces also agreed to open the Adre border crossing with Chad into North Darfur for three months, signaling progress towards easing the country’s humanitarian challenges.
The mediators called on both sides to coordinate with humanitarian organizations to ensure smooth, unhindered delivery of aid. These steps are seen as crucial in addressing widespread food insecurity and stopping the impending famine.
Though negotiations are ongoing in Geneva, the Sudanese army has so far refrained from participating due to disagreements over the format of the talks. Meanwhile, the conflict continues to escalate, leading to increased displacement and civilian suffering, with rights groups urging both sides to protect civilians and prioritize humanitarian access.
Global Mediators Urge Sudan’s Warring Factions to Allow Humanitarian Aid Amid Escalating Crisis
Sudan’s war, which began in 2023, has plunged the country into one of the worst humanitarian and displacement crises in the world. The power struggle between the Sudanese army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, headed by Mohamad Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), has displaced over 10 million people and devastated the country’s infrastructure.
Millions of people are facing acute hunger, and parts of Darfur have officially been declared as experiencing famine. The RSF has committed to facilitating humanitarian convoys and ensuring their safe passage according to international law.
Despite the humanitarian efforts, violence persists, with recent reports of an RSF attack in the Sennar region resulting in dozens of deaths. The ongoing conflict has also sparked a public health disaster, including a cholera outbreak that has killed over 300 people.
The US has called on the Sudanese Armed Forces to join the peace talks in Geneva and emphasized the importance of maintaining open humanitarian corridors to prevent further deterioration of the crisis. Mediators stress that continued dialogue and cooperation are essential to ending the fighting and alleviating the suffering in Sudan.
Sudan’s political landscape remains unstable, despite efforts to transition toward civilian rule following the 2019 overthrow of Omar al-Bashir. Diplomatic relations between Sudan and the US had been restored in 2020, but efforts to establish democratic governance faltered after the military coup in 2021.
The current conflict between the army and the RSF erupted in 2023, derailing the fragile peace and plunging the country deeper into chaos. International mediators hope that ongoing negotiations can create a pathway toward peace, but the situation remains highly volatile.
