Sudan urgently needs to embark on a national dialogue and reform process that is led by Sudanese and supported by the international community.  Without such a process, Sudan has little chance of breaking its destructive cycle of instability. Authors Ambassador Princeton N. Lyman, a special advisor to the president of USIP and former special envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, and Jon Temin, director of USIP’s Horn of African program, examine the way forward.

Summary

  • Sudan urgently needs to embark on a national dialogue and reform process that is led by Sudanese and supported by the international community.
  • The process should be broadly inclusive, involving elements of the current regime, Islamists, and all armed and unarmed opposition groups.
  • Any meaningful process will be lengthy, likely requiring years to complete. If a genuine, inclusive process is underway, elections in 2015 may need to be delayed.
  • The African Union High-Level Implementation Panel has a critical role to play in advocating for and guiding such a process.

About This Brief

This brief analyzes prospects for genuine national dialogue and reform in Sudan. Ambassador Princeton N. Lyman is a special advisor to the president of the United States Institute of Peace and the former United States special envoy for Sudan and South Sudan. Jon Temin is the director of the Horn of African program at the United States Institute of Peace. The views expressed here are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Institute of Peace, which does not take policy positions.

This Peace Brief is also available in Arabic.

Related Publications

For Sahel Stability, U.S. Needs Broader, Coordinated Policy

For Sahel Stability, U.S. Needs Broader, Coordinated Policy

Thursday, March 21, 2024

By: Kris Inman;  Matthew Reitman

As military coups and violent insurgencies have spread across Africa’s Sahel over the past decade, U.S. policy has professed to recognize and address their interconnections across the region, notably through the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership. Yet this effort remains insufficient to meet the scale and complexity of the violence and the underlying failures of governance.

Type: Analysis

Violent Extremism

The Latest @ USIP: Grassroots Efforts to Address Sudan’s Humanitarian Crisis

The Latest @ USIP: Grassroots Efforts to Address Sudan’s Humanitarian Crisis

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

By: Sara Pantuliano

More than half of Sudan’s population of 46 million is in need of humanitarian assistance -- and less than a quarter of them are actually receiving aid amid the country’s civil conflict. Sara Pantuliano, the chief executive for the Overseas Development Institute, discusses the current crisis in Sudan, why Sudan is important for global peace and how grassroots organizations in the country can help deliver aid to places that international organizations cannot reach.

Type: Blog

Conflict Analysis & Prevention

The Latest @ USIP: How to Address Sudan’s Humanitarian Crisis Amid War

The Latest @ USIP: How to Address Sudan’s Humanitarian Crisis Amid War

Wednesday, January 3, 2024

By: Patrick Youssef

Nearly nine months into Sudan’s civil conflict, the fighting has not only upended daily life across the country, but also disrupted Sudan’s already shaky economic and social services — leaving millions in need of dire humanitarian assistance. Patrick Youssef, regional director for Africa at the International Committee of the Red Cross, discusses how the conflict is affecting Sudan’s civilian population and why some sort of agreement between the warring sides is the only way to safely clear avenues for humanitarian intervention.

Type: Blog

Conflict Analysis & Prevention

Civil War Pushes Sudan to the Brink of Humanitarian Disaster

Civil War Pushes Sudan to the Brink of Humanitarian Disaster

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

By: Ashish Kumar Sen

Away from the headlines dominated by the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, a civil war between Sudan’s military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is pushing the country to the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. As an allegedly genocidal RSF gains the upper hand, a U.N. official has warned that Sudan is “facing a convergence of a worsening humanitarian calamity and a catastrophic human rights crisis.”

Type: Analysis

Conflict Analysis & PreventionHuman Rights

View All Publications