Accompanying Sudan on the Long Road to Peace

In September 2025 the Universal Peace Federation issued the message "From Forgotten to Forefront" to draw the world’s attention to the immense suffering of the Sudanese people. Since then the armed conflict that began on 15 April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces has only intensified and spread into new regions. United Nations sources and humanitarian organizations now estimate that at least forty thousand people have been killed, more than twelve million have been displaced inside and outside Sudan, and tens of millions require humanitarian assistance with many facing acute food insecurity and risk of famine. In April 2025 the London conference on Sudan, hosted in the United Kingdom and co chaired with France, pledged additional resources for the United Nations humanitarian response plan, yet that plan remains less than half funded and aid convoys still struggle to reach people who are trapped by fighting or insecurity.

On 12 September 2025 the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2791 (2025), which renewed the sanctions regime and arms embargo established under resolution 1591 (2005) concerning the situation in Darfur and extended the mandate of the Panel of Experts until October 2026. These developments underline both the gravity of the crisis and the continued responsibility of the international community to act.

For the Universal Peace Federation, founded by Dr. Hak Ja Han and late Dr. Sun Myung Moon, the war in Sudan is not a distant tragedy but a deeply human test of our shared responsibility. Their vision has always stressed that genuine security begins in homes where children are protected, in local communities where neighbours look after one another, and in societies where diversity of ethnicity and belief is approached with respect and reverence. The violence that has torn apart Khartoum, Darfur, Kordofan and other regions has also torn apart these everyday bonds of trust. On 14 November 2025 the United Nations Human Rights Council held a special session on the human rights situation in and around El Fasher and adopted resolution S 38/1, requesting the Independent International Fact Finding Mission for the Sudan to conduct an urgent inquiry into alleged violations of international law in that area. When hospitals, schools and places of worship are attacked or left without supplies, when families are forced to flee and children are separated from their parents, the moral fabric of society is wounded in ways that will endure long after any ceasefire unless healing and reconciliation begin now.

On 6 November 2025 the Rapid Support Forces announced that they would accept a humanitarian ceasefire proposal backed by the United States and co-sponsored by Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates and expressed willingness to engage in broader talks, although the Sudanese Armed Forces have not yet endorsed that proposal and fighting continues across the country. The Universal Peace Federation therefore calls on all states with influence in Sudan to coordinate their efforts, to uphold international humanitarian and human rights law, to halt the flow of weapons into the conflict and to ensure that diplomatic initiatives place the safety and dignity of Sudanese communities at their centre.

Within this wider effort the Universal Peace Federation will continue to work through its global network of Ambassadors for Peace and its associations to support Sudanese led pathways out of violence. In countries that host Sudanese refugees and migrants, UPF chapters are encouraged to cooperate with local partners to assist displaced families, to support schooling and mentoring for children and young people, and to provide spaces where Sudanese community leaders, women, youth and religious figures can reflect together on the elements of a sustainable political settlement. UPF welcomes the engagement of parliamentarians of the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP) who can help keep Sudan present in public awareness and encourage long term support for reconstruction once conditions allow. At the same time UPF invites faith leaders of the Interreligious Association for Peace and Development (IAPD) in every region to offer prayers, moral encouragement and practical help for the people of Sudan, bearing in mind that every act of generosity, every bridge of understanding and every word that affirms the equal worth of all people weakens the logic of war.

Looking ahead, the task is not only to silence the guns but to nurture a Sudan in which every child can grow up without fear and every community can contribute to the life of the nation in safety and with a voice that is heard. This aspiration is closely related to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and in particular to the goals that address hunger, health, education and peaceful and inclusive societies. The Universal Peace Federation stands ready to cooperate with all partners who seek just and lasting solutions for Sudan and for the wider region, so that the courage and endurance of its people can finally be met with safety, opportunity and a future of shared flourishing.

Dr. Tageldin Hamad
President, Universal Peace Federation