Sudan’s peace initiative, launched by Prime Minister Dr Kamil El-Tayeb Idris under the Transitional Government and presented before the United Nations Security Council on December 22, 2025, has quickly drawn notable endorsements from major African and regional institutions.
In a continent long scarred by protracted conflicts and external mediation fatigue, this proposal represents a distinct shift; one defined by national ownership, regional consensus and international alignment.
A framework born of necessity and responsibility
The Sudanese peace initiative, as detailed in its formal statement, acknowledges the grave human and institutional cost of the country’s ongoing conflict, now approaching its third year.
Kamil Idris — Sudan’s Prime Minister
The document describes Sudan as standing “at a defining moment”, where the silence of the guns would depend not on the balance of power, but on the courage to act decisively.
Unlike prior ceasefire proposals, the Government’s plan is explicitly rooted in accountability and internal legitimacy. It presents a structured roadmap: a verifiable ceasefire under multilateral supervision, disarmament and regrouping of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) rebels and the safe return of displaced persons and refugees.
Military stabilisation
The framework extends beyond military stabilisation; it integrates political, economic and social dimensions designed to heal a fractured nation.
At its core lies the principle of transitional justice, no peace without accountability, alongside mechanisms for reintegration and reconstruction.
The initiative’s emphasis on local ownership, national reconciliation and democratic transition underscores Sudan’s attempt to redefine its postwar identity on its own terms, while maintaining alignment with international norms.
Regional endorsements and converging voices
The immediate reaction from the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and the African Union Commission signals strong regional consensus on the path forward.
The ICGLR Secretariat welcomed Sudan’s plan as “a comprehensive and forward-looking framework” and called on all parties to accept it “without preconditions”.
Its language notably echoes the Sudanese government’s own emphasis on inclusivity and national dialogue, reflecting an emerging African coherence on mediation principles: peace through participation, not coercion.
Sudanese initiative
AUC Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf went further in both tone and substance. He credited the Sudanese initiative with demonstrating “a profound understanding of the severe crisis confronting Sudan and its people”, and singled out key areas of ceasefire, humanitarian access, reforms of the security sector and reconstruction as credible foundations for sustainable peace.
By linking these to broader goals like transitional justice and social cohesion, the African Union effectively endorsed not just the plan’s provisions, but its philosophical underpinning: that legitimate peace cannot emerge from external designs, only from locally-anchored consensus.
Both the AUC and ICGLR also reiterated a resounding support for Sudan’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, directly countering fears that the prolonged conflict could splinter the country or invite foreign interference.
From ceasefire to reconstruction: Challenges ahead
While the initiative’s architecture is ambitious and holistic, its success will depend on implementation, particularly the sequencing and monitoring of the ceasefire, the neutral supervision of disarmament and the reintegration of ex-combatants.
The plan envisions a tri-level oversight mechanism involving the United Nations, African Union and Arab League, which could ensure legitimacy but also risks bureaucratic delays if coordination falters.
The proposal’s social and economic pillars: job creation, community reconciliation, and rehabilitation programmes, offer a hopeful counterweight to entrenched war economies.
Yet, financing these measures remains uncertain without sustained international donor engagement.
Sudan’s call for “partnership, not sympathy”, thus doubles as a diplomatic appeal for resources and trust-building.
A Moment of Regional Maturity
The convergence of Sudan’s self-driven initiative with regional endorsement from both the AUC and ICGLR marks a moment of political maturity in African peace diplomacy.
It suggests a shift from reactive crisis management to proactive continental ownership of peace processes.
In harmonising the Sudanese government’s “homemade” blueprint with established multilateral principles, the initiative could serve as a new model for conflict resolution in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa regions.
Ultimately, history, as Sudan’s statement poignantly declared, will not remember how complex this war was, but whether the world acted when action was possible.
The government’s peace framework now stands as a litmus test of global and regional resolve: can Sudan, and by extension Africa, secure peace through cooperation rather than intervention?
If so, this may indeed be remembered as the moment Sudan stepped back from the edge and the international community chose partnership over paralysis.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh
