As the war in Sudan enters its fourth year, it does so with an ever-deepening humanitarian and human rights crisis, one that continues to devastate millions of lives and fracture the very fabric of the Sudanese society.
What began in April 2023 has escalated into one of the most severe crises in the world today. Over 10 million people have been displaced, including more than half of them children. Tens of thousands have lost their lives. Entire communities have been destroyed. Nearly 25 million people, over half of Sudan’s population, are now in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Famine conditions are emerging in several regions, while access to food, healthcare, education, and clean water has been severely disrupted or completely cut off.
Civilians continue to bear the brunt of this war. Indiscriminate attacks, the destruction of homes, hospitals, and essential infrastructure, and severe restrictions on humanitarian access have become defining features of the conflict. The social cohesion that once bound communities together is being eroded, as fear, trauma, and division take root.
We, the Sudanese Alliance for Rights, write to all parties attending the Berlin Conference: the international Quartet on Sudan, composed of the United States of America, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt, working in coordination with the European Union, the African Union, and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), as well as United Nations agencies, regional blocs, states, and a broad range of Sudanese civil society organisations, women’s groups, youth movements, and humanitarian actors who continue to operate under extremely difficult conditions. All those in attendance will be gathered in a room where the fate of Sudan could ultimately be altered for the better, calling for renewed, coordinated, and courageous leadership.
We acknowledge and welcome the continued commitment to humanitarian assistance, particularly at a time when global priorities are shifting, and some states are scaling back funding. Humanitarian aid remains vital; it sustains life in the most desperate of circumstances. However, it cannot, on its own, end the suffering of the Sudanese people.
Without an immediate and sustained ceasefire, humanitarian assistance will remain constrained and insufficient. Aid cannot reach those trapped in active conflict zones. It cannot rebuild what continues to be destroyed. It cannot restore dignity while violence persists.
A ceasefire is not only necessary, but it is also urgent. It is the foundation upon which all other efforts must rest. Only through silencing the guns can humanitarian access be guaranteed, communities begin to rebuild, and displaced families consider returning home. Sudanese people, even with the limited resources available to them, have the strength to begin recovery, but they cannot do so in the midst of ongoing violence.
We therefore call on all actors gathered in Berlin to move beyond declarations and take decisive steps to secure an immediate cessation of hostilities. The influence of international and regional bodies must be exercised collectively and consistently to press all warring parties toward peace, while ensuring that the protection of civilians and accountability for violations remain central to all engagements.
At the same time, we direct a message to all Sudanese civil society that will be in attendance. This moment demands unity of purpose. We urge all civil society actors to set aside ideological differences, organisational rivalries, and individual interests. The pursuit of recognition, positioning, or influence must not take precedence over the urgent need for peace. Civil society has always been a powerful force for change in Sudan—now, more than ever, it must rise to its responsibility to build bridges, foster dialogue, and actively contribute to peacebuilding efforts that centre the well-being of the Sudanese people.
We also send a clear message to the warring parties: the continuation of this conflict is indefensible. The cost of war is being borne almost entirely by civilians. Every day that fighting continues, more lives are lost, more families are displaced, and the future of an entire generation is put at risk. The Sudanese people deserve peace, dignity, and the opportunity to rebuild their country.
Finally, we call on all Sudanese, both within the country and in the diaspora, to reject and resist the spread of hate speech, incitement, and division. Words have power. In times of conflict, they can either deepen wounds or help to heal them. The spread of harmful rhetoric only fuels violence and prolongs suffering. This is a moment to choose unity over division, empathy over anger, and collective healing over fragmentation.
As you convene in Berlin, we urge you to reflect not only on the scale of the crisis, but on the urgency of action required. Sudan cannot afford another year of war. Its people have endured enough.
The path to peace is still within reach, but it requires bold, unified, and immediate action.
Signed,
Sudanese Alliance for Rights
14/04/2026