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Former Sudanese prime minister Abdalla Hamdok has said civilian voices are being formally included for the first time in international efforts to end Sudan’s civil war, as Germany prepares to host a conference marking the conflict’s third anniversary.
The international ministerial conference on Sudan will take place on Wednesday. Previous meetings in Paris in 2024 and in London last year failed to produce a ceasefire or a credible political framework.
Germany, the African Union, the EU, France, Britain and the US are co-hosting the conference, with their foreign ministers expected to join representatives of the UN, major humanitarian organisations and a structured civilian forum involving organised Sudanese civil society groups in the German capital.
Mr Hamdok, who leads the Somoud coalition, said the inclusion of civilian representation marks a shift from earlier conferences.
“The only assured way is to go through a political process that will address the root causes of the conflict,” he told The National. He added that the civil society delegation expects to push for humanitarian access, protection of civilians and a political track to end the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
“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 over 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 SAF, led by Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, and the RSF, commanded by Gen Mohamed Dagalo, broke into open conflict.
The confrontation followed weeks of dispute over plans to integrate the RSF into the army as part of a stalled transition to civilian rule.
Mr Hamdok was Sudan’s prime minister after the removal of former leader Omar Al Bashir in 2019, but was himself ousted two years later in a military coup led by Gen Al Burhan and Gen Dagalo.
Neither the SAF nor the RSF has been invited to the Berlin conference. Sudan’s military-led government has
protested against the decision, saying it rejected the organisation of the conference without its approval or consultation on all related arrangements.
Observers said expectations for a peace breakthrough at the Berlin conference 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 one of the most promising diplomatic tracks, but there are obstacles.
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. Mr Hamdok said Quad discussions have stalled in recent weeks “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.”
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.
This month, Gen Al Burhan named his second-in-command Gen Yasser Al Atta as his chief of staff. Gen Al Atta is widely known to be sympathetic towards the cause of Islamists loyal to the regime of Al Bashir.
“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 said Islamist factions have no intention of stopping the conflict. They have a clear objective, “either this war brings them back to power or destroys the country”, he added.
He said the consequences would extend beyond Sudan.
“The manifestation of this will be more instability and fragmentation in Sudan,” he said. “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 Shabab 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.