The Week of Global Settlements: Is Sudan Left Out of the “Peace Agenda”?
moatinoon Center for Peace Culture Journalism
In the span of just a few days, significant strides have been made toward political settlements across multiple global conflict fronts—an unusual scene not witnessed in years. A potential truce between India and Pakistan brokered by Gulf countries, secret negotiations between Russia and Ukraine facilitated by Arab mediators, high-level talks between China and the United States aiming to ease tensions over the "trade war" and perhaps beyond, and an active dialogue between Washington and Tehran on Iran’s nuclear program and economic sanctions. Settlements are taking shape, peace is being drawn behind closed doors, and signs suggest the world is—cautiously—moving toward a global détente that may rebalance its fractured order.
Amid all this movement, an urgent question arises: Where is Sudan in all of this?
Has the war in Sudan—now entering its second year—become merely a local issue with no significant weight on the agendas of international powers? Is there any indication that Sudan has entered the global "peace agenda," or is the opposite more likely?
Current realities point to Sudan’s absence as a political priority on the lists of major powers. Neither Moscow nor Washington, nor even Brussels or Beijing, has shown serious interest in pushing for an urgent settlement to the war. Even the regional role, which was more active in the early stages of the crisis, has gradually declined as time drags on and both sides seem to bet on military victory.
It is true that rumors circulate about informal meetings between the warring parties in capitals like Cairo and Abu Dhabi, but these are mere leaks that seem like “feeling the waters” and have not led to any official announcement—or are they more than that?
It is worth noting that a previous attempt at dialogue between the two sides was made in Manama, Bahrain, but it was quickly aborted after its details were leaked and made public. This raises questions about whether the key actors today are seeking to avoid a similar failure by maintaining strict secrecy over any ongoing discussions. But then, is secrecy alone enough to guarantee successful settlements? Or is the lack of transparency and the absence of a broad national consensus the deeper reason why such efforts fail?
In this context, the war in Sudan still appears to be a forgotten conflict, with civilians paying the price alone, while the world focuses on extinguishing fires that are closer to its own interests. As destruction spreads, casualties rise, and the humanitarian situation deteriorates, there remains hope that the scale of the catastrophe may finally compel internal, regional, and international actors to treat the Sudanese crisis as an urgent matter that can no longer be delayed.
So, will Sudan join the wave of settlements?
Will Sudanese parties secure a place on the evolving map of peace?
