The war in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) shows no sign of stopping, amid grave human rights violations against civilians by both sides and a growing number of external actors fuelling the conflict.
The UN has warned of humanitarian catastrophe, with millions of people at actual or imminent risk of famine. With escalating fighting and ethnically targeted violence, particularly in Darfur, neither side is likely to be able to achieve a decisive victory, which could lead to a protracted conflict and the de facto partition of the country.
To date, the shining light for Sudanese civilians has been youth-driven emergency response rooms and other front-line responders who are risking their lives to help their communities.
At the same time, Sudan urgently needs an alternative to the warring parties and their supporters – a credible and broadly representative civilian body that articulates a vision for peace, presses for an end to the war and provides an alternative point of engagement for the international community.
The first conference of the Coordination Body of Civilian Democratic Forces (known as Taqaddum), the largest coalition of Sudanese civil society and political actors, provides a glimmer of hope.
Towards a vision for Sudan’s future
Taqaddum was established in October 2023 and held its founding conference in Addis Ababa in late May, bringing together nearly 600 participants from all 18 states in Sudan – despite arrests of some invitees in SAF-controlled areas. Although Taqaddum has been criticized for being disconnected from grassroots activists, it has worked hard to become more inclusive. People from 24 countries were present, women and youth representatives held their own preparatory conferences, and thousands of Sudanese citizens contributed online.
