Ramtane Lamamra, who was named Personal Envoy in November 2023, is at the heart of the UN’s mediation efforts. By interacting with RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo and SAF head General Abdel Fattah al Burhan, Lamamra has advocated for a truce. He met with Burhan in port Sudan in April 2025 to talk about Jeddah Declaration , which is an agreement for civilian protection and humanitarian access that was made in May 2023 but hasn’t been put into effect because of the continued fighting (UN News, 2025). Indirect SAF-RSF negotiations facilitated by Libya and Turkey resulted from the UN Security Council’s backing for mediation and adoption of a ceasfire resolution in March 2024. It demanded accountability and an end to foreign meddling after denouncing a slaughter in North Darfur on April 15, 2025 (UN News, 2025). Aid was delayed, though when a 2024 ceasefire resolution was vetoed(Council on Foreign Relations, 2025).
In cooperation with the African Union (AU) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the UN supports Mahmoud Ali Youseef, the new chairperson of the AU, and the backs IGAD’s ceasefire appeals from April 2025 )UN News, 2025). Notwithstanding these initiatives, mediation is beset by obtacles: Sudan ‘s April 2025 ICJ complaint against UAE claims RSF assiatance, and foreign meddling by the UAE, Egypt, and Russia breaches UN arms embargoes, as both SAF and RSF seek military victory, fragmented mediation efforts-by the UN, AU and others-allow them to take advantage of differences(Ghebremeskel, 2024). Enforcement is further weakened by Security Council vetoes (Hellmuller& Badache, 2022).
With WFP tackling famine that effects 635,000 people and UNHCR helping 8.6 million refugees, humanitarian activities are crucial (UNHCR, 2025; International Rescue Committee, 2025). Only 15% of a $2.7 billion humanitarian appeal was funded, according to UN coordinator Clementine Nkweta -Salami’s distribution is hampered by violence and looting ,such as the attack on Al Bashair Hospital in April 2025 (UN News, 2025). The Youth Coalition on Peace(YCON), which trained 180 young people to monitor conflicts by 2024, is another example of how the UN supports grassroots initiatives (UN News, 2025).
Current plans have historically been informed by UN peacekeeping such as UNAMID (2007-2020), which included 25,000 personnel (Mohamed, 2025). Nonetheless, difficulties brought on by the war are reflected in UNITAMS’s shutdown in February 2024(Boswell& Mohammed, 2025). Lack of coordination and outside assistance for belligerents restrict the UN’s influence and run the risk of causing Sudan to break apart (Wallensteen, 2018). peace defends on promoting unified mediation.
References:
Boswell, A., & Mohammed, A. (2025, April 25). Sudan’s growing fragmentation two years into the war [Audio podcast episode]. In The Horn. International Crisis Group. https://www.crisisgroup.org/the-horn
Council on Foreign Relations. (2025). Sudan’s civil war: Regional implications. https://www.cfr.org
Ghebremeskel, A. (2024). Conflict and mediation in Sudan. Global Change, Peace & Security, 35(2), 97–110. https://doi.org/10.1080/14781158.2024.2381234
Hellmüller, S., & Badache, F. (2022). Conflict management or resolution. Contemporary Security Policy, 43(4), 547–571. https://doi.org/10.1080/13523260.2022.2144478
International Rescue Committee. (2025). Sudan crisis overview. https://www.rescue.org
Mohamed, A. (2025). Qatari peace mediation in Sudan. Journal of Peacebuilding & Development, 20(1), 45–62. https://doi.org/10.1177/15423166241234567
UN News. (2025). Sudan: UN envoy calls for unified peace efforts. https://news.un.org
UNHCR. (2025). Sudan refugee crisis. https://www.unhcr.org
Wallensteen, P. (2018). Understanding conflict resolution (5th ed.). Sage Publications.