Why Peace in Sudan is Critical
For over 17 months, Sudan has been plunged into conflict and uncertainty. The conflict continues to inflict immeasurable death and suffering, displacing millions from their homes, and humanitarian crisis. Over ten million people have fled their homes since the conflict broke out in April 2023. With an estimated eight million of them remaining within Sudan’s borders, Sudan is now the world’s largest internal displacement crisis. Famine has been declared in parts of Sudan and looms over much of the rest of the country. Half of Sudan’s population is now suffering from acute hunger and five million children and pregnant and breastfeeding women are acutely malnourished.
Despite ongoing efforts, a sustainable peace agreement remains elusive. The recently concluded peace talks convened in Switzerland on August 14, 2024, organised by the United States of America, Switzerland, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the African Union, and the United Nations, failed to secure a national cessation of hostilities. While the talks managed to improve humanitarian access, a comprehensive resolution is urgently needed to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people.
At the 79th United Nations General Assembly session in New York, world leaders have been urged to intensify efforts to respond to the devastating conflict in Sudan. International pressure is needed to push the belligerents to the table, deliver civilian protection, scale up humanitarian assistance and give Sudanese civilians a role in the peace process.
In this episode of Solidarity For Solutions, a podcast by the Africans for the Horn of Africa (Af4HA) Initiative, Bridget Musungu, a researcher at Af4HA, engages in a conversation with Kholood Khair, a Sudanese political analyst and founding director of Confluence Advisory, and Dr. Edgar Githua, an expert in international affairs, peace, and security to discuss why the international community must step up for Sudan and how it can do so.
Speakers Bio:
Kholood Khair:
Kholood Khair is a Sudanese political analyst and the founding director of Confluence Advisory, a “think-and-do” tank based in Khartoum.
She was a radio broadcaster, hosting and co-producing a weekly radio program: Spotlight 249, Sudan’s first English-language political discussion and debate show aimed at Sudanese youth. Khair has over a decade of experience in research, aid programming and policy in Sudan and across the Horn of Africa.
She has written for Foreign Policy, Al Jazeera English, The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy and other international outlets and organizations, and has been quoted widely as a political analyst in the media, including in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the BBC and NPR. She has a master’s degree in African Studies from the University of Oxford and in Violence, Conflict and Development from SOAS University of London.
Dr. Edgar Githua:
Dr. Edgar Githua holds a PhD in international relations from the United States International University-Africa, Nairobi, Kenya. He is affiliated with Strathmore University. He is the author of “Spoilers and Peace Agreements: The South Sudan Conflict (2013-2019)”, published in 2023. His research interests include peace and conflict resolution, negotiation and mediation, international affairs, security, and diplomacy. He is also an international affairs and Political analyst for various media houses, including NTV Kenya, Citizen TV Kenya, VOA, TRK News, A54 News, and Capital FM.
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