It has been nearly two and half years since the war in Sudan broke out on April 15, 2023. The conflict between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces(RSF) has led to deep divisions in the Sudanese state, military, politics and society and the
world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Yet, there has been a
third force in this story – driven not by guns but by warriors for peace led by the pro-democracy movement and revolutionary forces. These civilians have stood up against the war, calling for a political solution and challenging the legitimacy of both the SAF and RSF on the basis that the military coup d’état that they orchestrated together overthrowing the civilian transitional government in October 2021 ended the last real civilian mandate. They have been reminding us since the war begin that this is a war against the Sudanese people, a war against democracy, freedom, equality and justice. The movement is actively taken forward by a number of Sudanese coalitions, groups and individuals working every day for an end to the war. They should not be underestimated. In many ways this war is an effort to unravel the democratic progress that was made in 2019.
Yet, international policy makers often ask,
“ why are civilians not united? or we need a wider united civilian front against the war”. There is, however, something misplaced about this now-common oversimplification. It puts more blame on civilians without guns fighting for peace then the warring parties themselves. Why is this happening? Perhaps a mix of lack of understanding, idealism, misconceptions about how Sudanese organize and maybe even as psychological means for internationals to divert their own guilt over the collective failure to respond appropriately to the war.
Sudanese have been organizing, resisting and struggling for democracy and peace in the face of authoritarian rule, oppression, corruption and civil wars for decades. They maintained commitment despite countless lives lost and other sacrifices that led to the 2018 December Revolution that overthrew a thirty-year dictatorship and gave power back to the people. The tragedy is that this was all too short-lived, and the incomplete transformation was arrested by the coup d’état and then the war. Both targeted what the pro-democracy movement had achieved.
But organizing in Sudan has never just been carried out one united formal and hierarchical body, but by a convergence of diverse, decentralized efforts over years. While this can pose challenges in external engagement, the approach has demonstrated its power to advance change. And since the war began, the movement has continued to organize for the vision of new Sudan.
What the broad civilian front is and is not;
It is a large, diverse, powerful movement that continues to fight for a peaceful end to the war in spite of immense challenges and obstruction; with a multitude of
efforts with common aims converging in various spaces and platforms.
It is not under one umbrella or coalition, yet there have been significant efforts to make that happen and people are organized in various forms and coordinating.
One of the strongest representations of the movement can be found in
Somoud. As the leading political force against the war, Somoud is a coalition of anti-war and pro-democracy civilians, including leading political parties, trade unions, resistance committees and civil society. Although it has gone through a number of formations since 2023, they have not taken a side in this war and continue to advocate for a peaceful solution to the conflict. The coalition has faced particular scrutiny largely due to its engagement of political actors (former Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC)) and its selection of former Prime Minister Hamdok who many see as the last legitimate leader in Sudan and a symbol of what could have been. Somoud has been attacked with ferocity by all sides of the war because it represents this third force – and unfortunately this has prevented some from joining it formally although their priorities are aligned. It is thus important to appreciate how Sudanese civilians are organizing both within and in parallel to such coalitions in the face of many challenges. This totality is what
the wider civilian front to end the war currently looks like.
This includes
Sudanese youth who were so instrumental in the efforts of December Revolution and remain a critical part of the wider civilian front to end the war. The youth movement includes former members of resistance committees, civil society and others who have continued their work in providing humanitarian service to their communities through the
Emergency Response Rooms and other community initiatives or through political advocacy through efforts such as
the Sudanese Youth Network to end the war and establish a democratic civil transformation that conducted massive youth consultations and developed a youth agenda to end the war, now used as an advocacy tool.
Sudanese women are also organizing to end the war through a number of efforts. They have
advocated for a ceasefire, raised the voices of women in UN, AU and IGAD consultations and continued to
lead communities in providing services to war affected populations and creating local peace dialogues and solidarity initiatives.
Human rights defenders continue to document the violations taking place against civilians
pushing for accountability and a just Sudan.
Independent media have continued to fight against war narratives, misinformation, hate-speech and propaganda, offering platforms for pro-peace actors to debate and counter the war mongering in partisan media used as another weapon of war. Sudanese
artists and creatives have also contributed to
voices calling for peace and promoting social cohesion and unity, as well as
highlighting the suffering of the Sudanese people at the hands of the warring parties.
Wider civil society has also driven a number of campaigns and calls for peace over the past two years, the No to War campaign, the #CeasefireNow4Sudan, the Sudan Peace Call, the Sudan Civilian Convergence Track and others. There are many efforts that are not acknowledged or easily seen due to their nature, including community interventions and behind the scenes efforts of individuals who are driven not by recognition, but results. Both inside and outside Sudan committed actors are making sacrifices daily in their mission to bring peace to the country.
It is clear from their actions, messages, efforts and advocacy that there are
three common objectives shared by most of the groups that make up the wider civilian front to end the war;
