International cooperation is needed to deliver civilian protection, scale up humanitarian assistance, leverage the influence of regional actors, and give Sudanese civilians a role in the peace process. Dame Rosalind Marsden* Seventeen months of war in Sudan have resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians and displaced 10 million people – 2 million into neighbouring countries and 8 million internally. The war has created the world’s worst hunger crisis, pushing millions to the brink of a man-made famine. A series of international mediation efforts have failed to stop the conflict. The latest was a US-mediated attempt to restart a stalled ceasefire process in mid-August, aiming to bring together senior delegations from the warring parties—the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Talks in Geneva were intended to achieve a nationwide cessation of hostilities, allowing humanitarian access to all areas of the country, and a robust monitoring and verification mechanism. The negotiations were co-hosted by Saudi Arabia and Switzerland, with the UN, AU, Egypt and the UAE present as observers. Some limited progress was made on humanitarian access to Darfur. The SAF agreed to temporarily reopen the Adre border crossing from Chad, which …
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