Sudan
Since clashes erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023, Sudan has descended into a devastating civil war. Peace talks between the armed factions have yet to halt the fighting. More than 25 million people need assistance to survive, and more than 11 million people have been displaced from their homes. For over two decades, the U.S. Institute of Peace has worked with senior officials and civil society leaders to develop strategies for averting intercommunal violence; provide training, mediation and expert advice to reach a peace deal; and catalyze efforts to end hostilities.
Featured Research & Analysis
Without Sudan's Warring Parties in Geneva, What’s Next for Peace Talks?
A U.S.-led peace initiative to end Sudan’s brutal civil war took place in Geneva over the last two weeks. But despite invitations and extensive international pressure, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) declined to send a delegation to Switzerland altogether, while the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) sent a delegation.
The Red Sea Crisis Goes Beyond the Houthis
The Red Sea is in crisis. At the center of the storm are Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who have unleashed a wave of attacks on ships traversing one of the world’s most pivotal maritime straits, putatively in support of Hamas’s war against Israel. The Houthi gambit in the Red Sea is imposing serious costs on global trade, as did the problem of Somali piracy, which reached its peak in 2010. The United States and some of its allies have stepped in to militarily suppress the threat, bombing Houthi positions inside Yemen. But although this episode is illustrative of the difficulties of Red Sea security, the crisis extends far beyond the trouble emanating from Yemen.
As Famine Spreads Across Sudan, Protecting Civilians Must be a Priority
Since Sudan’s civil war erupted 15 months ago, civilians have disproportionately borne the brunt of the fighting. The African Union recently referred to the crisis in Sudan as an “unprecedented catastrophic humanitarian situation,” marked by the world’s largest displacement and hunger crises and significant civilian casualties.
Current Projects
Why All the Coups?
Ahead of the Biden administration’s Summit for Democracy, the U.S. Institute of Peace is convening a multi-part conversation about the dynamics driving four of the seven coups and coup attempts since the onset of the pandemic.
Peacemaking in a Turbulent World: Lessons from Intrastate and Interstate Conflicts
Peacemaking in a Turbulent World answers the following central question: What lessons for effective management of intrastate conflicts emerged from the post-Cold War period that are relevant for managing contemporary conflicts which include intrastate, internationalized (featuring direct engagement by outside powers), and interstate conflicts?
The Red Sea in Turmoil: Peace and Security in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East
The states on the western side of the Red Sea to the south of Egypt and the Arab states from the east of Egypt through the Arabian Gulf have long been considered distinct regions. This is increasingly a distinction without a difference, however, as these states now operate more as a common political, security, and economic zone.