Op-ed: Sudan Cannot Wait!

By Marina Peter – Chair of the Sudan and South Sudan Forum e.V.

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Sudanese cannot wait for another conference. People in the Kordofans are under siege as they were in El Fasher last year. No crocodile tears ever again but robust action NOW. A brief reflection on a week in Berlin full of Sudan events by Marina Peter, Sudan and South Sudan Forum, April 18, 2026.

All eyes on the third anniversary of the nationwide war in Sudan on 15 April 2026, the Sudan Humanitarian Conference in Berlin and accompanying side events.

Really? Of course not. But at least after the terrible war crime massacres in El Fasher/Darfur last November, five months later there was again some more media and other attention on the world’s biggest humanitarian catastrophe, despite the new war in Iran, and the latest totally irresponsible, inhumane political announcement from the US usually dominating international news.

This must be regarded as a success, as so many Sudanese still, and rightly so, feel they are forgotten in their tremendous suffering, mourning their murdered loved ones, being raped, bombed, displaced, denied humanitarian aid and desperately waiting for at least one meal and medical care.

Will they be protected and their basic needs regarded right now, after the Conference in Berlin? It is appropriate to cast doubt, despite the 1.5 billion USD pledged there.

• First, experience shows that pledges are easily made, but many later forget to actually transfer them.

• Secondly, even the amounts pledged will take time to enter the accounts, let alone reach organisations on the ground.

• Thirdly, all warring parties systematically continue to deny humanitarian access, and where they allow it, they make it bureaucratically extremely difficult and costly.

• Fourthly, and most importantly, it must be noted that a few of those Sudanese groups on the ground have been able to save lives over the last three years in the most creative ways and have proven that they can meet international standards of accountability. They were present at the conference. BUT: besides two, none of the more than 70 representatives of countries and organisations referred to the discussion paper officially shared by the co-host on strengthening local actors and allocating funds directly to them. Emergency Response Rooms demand 15 per cent of all pledges be directed to those who can really help in this terrible situation but nobody commented on this demand, let alone addressed it.

Sudanese civil society groups clearly express their strong desire for a ceasefire and peace. They demand their voices be at the centre of all meetings and negotiations. Women and youth demand full inclusion, rightly so. They also demand protection and accountability for all crimes committed in the ongoing war. All this was expressed in many ways during side events in the Berlin week. Hosted by the so-called Quintet of the EU, AU, League of Arab States, IGAD and the UN, forty representatives of civil groups met in an official side event. They were able to produce a joint statement, for the sake of peace.

This was another success, especially as, unlike the third part of the conference, the Ministerial meeting, they were able to agree on something despite severe political differences.

But again, questions need to be raised: those who attended the meeting were handpicked and the criteria used were not shared. This casts doubt among those who feel excluded and unrepresented. For the sake of peace, much more transparency and inclusion in all these processes is needed.

Finally, the last part of the conference, the Ministerial meeting. Out of desperation, Sudanese on the ground, as well as many others, had high hopes for this, despite all the expectation management by the co-hosts prior to the conference. Like in London last year, ministers from around the world were not able to agree on a joint statement.

Would a joint ministerial statement have helped, signed also by those delivering arms, drones and other support, yet calling for stopping arms trade, as in Paris two years ago? Maybe not, but it would have sent a signal. At least the co-hosts released one, which is worthwhile to read, and especially to implement.

Sudanese and all others who care for the Sudanese people do not want more words, but action. Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, echoed in the humanitarian conference what he has said several times before: the international community has failed Sudan. The State Minister in the German Foreign Office, Serap Güler, is very committed to Sudan, there is no doubt. She expressed that she feels a real responsibility to step up efforts for humanitarian aid and contribute to peace after the conference.

In Germany and internationally, this must go along with:

• Pressuring warring parties and all those supporting them from outside, without exception
• Finding ways to protect civilians by all means, wherever they are
• Supporting local actors directly, including 15 per cent direct funding
• Agreeing on a nationwide arms embargo
• Not allowing the UAE any longer to speak in public about the tremendous humanitarian suffering, largely caused by arms they have delivered, as seen again at the conference
• Not remaining silent about Egypt killing, arresting and deporting Sudanese under their care
• Holding war criminals accountable in tribunals from now on
• Stopping all illegal blood gold trade, which fills the pockets of warlords, and following up on accusations that foreign companies buy this gold, such as Volkswagen in recent research, and freezing accounts accordingly
• Putting Sudanese voices at the centre of everything and supporting all ways for them to meet and discuss

Sudanese cannot wait for another conference. People in the Kordofans are under siege as they were in El Fasher last year. No crocodile tears ever again but robust action NOW.