Sudan war has no military solution, former prime minister says

Speaking to a group of reporters in Addis Ababa, including a Sudan Tribune correspondent, Hamdok described recent consultations among anti-war factions as a significant step forward for the civilian movement.

“We do not carry weapons, and we have informed the regional community that there is no military solution in Sudan,” said Hamdok, who heads the Somoud coalition and the Declaration of Principles group.

Hamdok dismissed expectations from unnamed critics that civilian groups would fail to find common ground, noting that overcoming divisions has been one of the biggest hurdles facing Sudanese civilians on the international stage.

“Despite the bleak current situation and the crisis in the country, hope exists,” Hamdok told reporters. “We must continue working and overcoming these circumstances to stop the war.”

Hamdok’s comments followed two days of talks in the Ethiopian capital that brought together political parties, civil society organizations, and youth and women’s networks to establish a unified front against the conflict.

The participants outlined a vision for a peace process comprising three integrated, simultaneous tracks, with a humanitarian pathway aimed at protecting civilians, opening humanitarian aid routes, and facilitating the unconditional return of displaced persons.

The anti-war groups detailed six main reasons for rejecting military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s dialogue initiative. They said the proposed process was unilaterally initiated, with its timing, venue, and preparatory committee controlled by one side, and conducted under the security apparatus of a warring party, thereby legitimizing the war rather than ending it.