The Guardian view on three years of war in Sudan: a vast humanitarian crisis persists because the fighting does | Editorial

“Bloody unacceptable.” The UN’s top official in Sudan, Denise Brown, abandoned the language of diplomacy in addressing the failure to tackle a devastating three-year conflict which has been overshadowed by Ukraine, then Gaza, and now Iran. The humanitarian crisis has dominated discussions of Sudan, she argued: “How about focusing on finding a solution to end the war?”

The international conference convened in Berlin on Wednesday is intended to inject a sense of urgency, as the conflict enters its fourth year. Since Sudan’s generals turned upon each other, having overthrown the civilian government, tens if not hundreds of thousands of people have been killed. Four million have fled abroad to other fragile nations, and millions more are displaced internally. More than half the population – approaching 30 million people – are acutely food insecure. Much of the capital, Khartoum, lies in ruins.

Far from burning out, the conflict has intensified and the two sides have hardened their positions. In the last year, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), under Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, have set up a rival government in the country’s west. Up to 10,000 people were massacred in the brutal siege and capture of the city of El Fasher in Darfur by the RSF and its allies, which a UN mission said bore “the hallmarks of genocide”.

Investigators found that both sides had deliberately targeted civilians, carried out summary executions and tortured detainees, in what they called a war of atrocities. Both have shattered hospitals, and are increasingly using drones to wreak destruction.

Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who leads the Sudanese Armed Forces and whose government enjoys international recognition, sees no need to compromise. He insists that the RSF should unilaterally withdraw to camps and be disarmed before a national dialogue begins. The RSF’s demands include a new federal system and the removal of Islamists, key to Gen Burhan’s coalition.

In September, a mediation group led by the US, and including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, laid out a possible roadmap to peace – with a humanitarian truce leading to a ceasefire and then political talks – albeit by dodging difficult questions. But Sudan was hardly a priority for Washington then, and barely figures on its radar now.

The true scandal is not a failure of international peacemaking, but the sustaining and escalation of this war by outside interests. Diplomats, experts and even RSF insiders say that the UAE is its main backer, despite UAE denials. Many believe tensions over its role catalysed the bitter UAE-Saudi rift; Saudi Arabia and Egypt are Gen Burhan’s key supporters. Last week, Yale University researchers reported that they had strong evidence of Ethiopian collusion with the RSF, increasing fears of a truly regional war. Longer-term questions of responsibility lie with Europe, which funded Sudan to crack down on migration, strengthening the RSF, and produced weaponry now used on the battlefield.

The Iran war is obstructing essential relief and increasing its expense, and governments worldwide are slashing aid budgets. Community kitchens that kept families alive are disappearing: more than two-fifths have reportedly closed in the last six months. The governments meeting in Berlin must increase support for Sudan’s essential voluntary and mutual aid groups. But humanitarian efforts cannot substitute for peace. The UK, the EU and others must turn up the pressure on the UAE and all those seeking geopolitical advantage at the cost of Sudanese lives.

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