Since April 15, 2023, fighting has broken out in Sudan between the forces of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and the paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti. This conflict in Sudan is not a civil war, but a power struggle between the two Generals, who have been seeking total control over the country since 2019, undermining the Sudanese people’s desire for a peaceful democratic transition to civilian rule.

The conflict, which started in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, has spread through the country, quickly resulting in the death of hundreds of civilians, destruction, and immense human suffering. Women and youth, who have been leading the local efforts for a democratic transition since 2019, have been some of the most affected by the current situation. Sudanese pro-democracy civil society organizations have clearly stated that this conflict is driven by the selfish interest of the two Generals and does not represent the aspirations of the Sudanese people.

Civil society groups, such as the youth-led Resistance Committees*, have worked courageously to mobilize the general public to articulate their demands for freedom, peace, justice, and democracy, and have become significant political forces. Even in this rapidly deteriorating situation, these groups continue to speak out and keep a flame of democratic aspiration alive.

More than 80 civic, political, and professional associations as well as over 130 individuals recently formed the Civilian Front to Stop the War and Restore Democracy. As stated in its Founding Statement, issued on April 27, the Civilian Front seeks to push for a return to a comprehensive civilian transition to democracy, to confront forces that attempt to divide the Sudanese people based on ethnic, tribal, regional, and religious grounds, and to promote peaceful coexistence of all Sudanese.

As Sudan’s struggle for democracy continues, the Steering Committee of the World Movement stands in solidarity with the people of Sudan and joins them in calling on the international community to:

• Urge General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo to cease fire and engage in a peaceful transition to democratic and civilian rule;
• Provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the Sudanese people caught in the crossfire and to those seeking safety at borders;
• Call the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to invoke the “Responsibility to Protect” commitment of member states to safeguard the Sudanese populations from the violent conflict;
• Amplify voices of Sudanese pro-democracy civil society advocating for a peaceful democratic transition in Sudan; and,
• Ensure to place the Sudanese people’s aspiration for democracy at the center of resolving the ongoing conflict and putting a democratic transition process back on track.

Signed:

Tamara Adrián
Ketevan Chachava
Glanis Changachirere
Cholpon Idinovna Djakupova
Maiko Ichihara
Ryota Jonen (Director)
Sook-Jong Lee
Sofía Montenegro
Nicholas Opiyo
Šimon Pánek
Maria Ressa (Chair)
Hassan Shire
Anita Vandenbeld
Damon Wilson

*In October 2022, the World Movement for Democracy celebrated the resilience and determination of the Resistance Committees to claim a democratic future in Sudan, recognizing their extraordinary efforts through the Democracy Courage Tribute