Revitalising Sudanese Intellectuals: From spectators to motivators
Professor Mekki Medani El Shibly
Intellectuals are individuals endowed with analytical capacity and independent critical insight into societal and global issues. Their thinking is grounded in reason, knowledge, and experience. While not necessarily academics, intellectuals are often researchers, writers, or activists in the realms of thought, economics, politics, and society. They contribute intellectually to shaping public opinion or influencing policy.
In the context of the initiative to end war and rebuild Sudan, “intellectuals ” refers to Sudanese individuals—or those deeply engaged in Sudanese affairs—who possess a record of intellectual, analytical, or research-based contributions to matters of governance, peace, justice, development, and identity. These individuals engage actively in public life through writing, teaching, debate, or institutional and civic work. Integrity and independence from narrow partisan polarisation are essential attributes of such figures.
Intellectuals possess the ability to delve deeply into ideas, analyze them, and connect them to real-world contexts. Their intellectual output is closely tied to practical solutions for contemporary challenges and the development of new theories and visions. They are not mere conveyors of information or distributors of ideas, but rather the originators of authentic concepts rooted in Sudan’s reality and capable of advancing its society. Intellectuals may be scientists, writers, philosophers, historians, entrepreneurs, or even military figures, provided their intellectual contributions have had a tangible impact within their domains.
Intellectuals, politicians, and the military: who will decipher the code of war?
Although some intellectuals reside within political or military circles, a distinction must be drawn between them and independent thinkers. This differentiation is based on the field of interest, level of intellectual independence, and the nature of ideas proposed.
A political intellectual is primarily concerned with governance and political ideology, often aligned with a particular system or doctrine. A military intellectual focuses on security and strategy. An independent intellectual, by contrast, is defined by intellectual autonomy, detached from authority or ideological affiliation, and bases opinions on reason and logic.
The Sudanese peace question is complex and deeply rooted. It cannot be said to have been the domain of one group—be it intellectuals, politicians, or military actors—alone. Rather, it has been shaped by the interplay of all three, each influencing the course of events differently across historical periods. The real question is who among them has the capacity to break the cycle of deadlock.
Since independence in 1956, Sudanese intellectuals have played a vital role in diagnosing the structural roots of the Sudanese crisis and proposing theoretical solutions. They argued that Sudan’s crisis is not merely political or military, but structural—concerning identity, distribution of power and wealth, and management of cultural and religious diversity. These thinkers offered profound analytical insights into the drivers of conflict and the necessity of embracing diversity, often proposing solutions that transcend superficial political settlements. However, their impact largely remained within elite discourse and public dialogue, rarely translating into actionable policy.
Politicians, whether in civilian or military governments, have been key players in peace negotiations and policy formulation. Yet Sudan’s experience shows that civilian governments often failed to deliver comprehensive peace, while certain military or authoritarian regimes succeeded in signing peace agreements, as seen in the Addis Ababa Agreement of 1972 under Nimeiri, the 2005 Naivasha Agreement under Bashir, and even the 2020 Juba Agreement, in which the military played the dominant role despite the presence of a civilian government. Nevertheless, these agreements frequently lacked intellectual depth and were overwhelmed by political expediency and military dominance—factors that ultimately led to their collapse.
In Sudan, the military has not merely executed policy but frequently shaped it through coups or by imposing its vision on political processes. In many cases, military intervention in politics occurred with the invitation or endorsement of certain political forces, or emerged from intra-party conflicts, leading to the militarisation of disputes and protracted armed conflict. At times, the military played a significant role in peace negotiations, but without addressing the structural roots of conflict, peace remained elusive.
Peace in Sudan, therefore, cannot be addressed solely at one level. It requires the confluence of the roles played by intellectuals (who diagnose the crisis and propose lasting solutions), politicians (who negotiate and sign agreements), and the military (which often imposes realities on the ground or partakes in security arrangements). Yet, the absence of a comprehensive vision, genuine implementation, political will, and structural reform—as repeatedly highlighted by intellectuals—has rendered all efforts insufficient to achieve lasting peace.
The failure of both the military and political leaderships to secure peace since the outbreak of war in April 2023 reflects a profound crisis in leadership and vision. This calls for new roles, wherein independent intellectuals can play a central part in building societal awareness—not only through diagnosing Sudan’s crises and proposing solutions, but also by engaging in practical efforts to promote national dialogue. The intellectual elite must rise above narrow polarisation and work to present and implement comprehensive visions of reconciliation and social justice. This must be grounded in the support of youth and civil society, empowering them to play a more active role in democratic transformation and the establishment of a civilian state—rather than leaving the nation’s fate in the hands of military and political actors who have failed to end the war and unify Sudan.
A call of conscience and intellect for peace and reconstruction in Sudan
The Call of Conscience and Intellect for Peace and Reconstruction in Sudan is an independent initiative launched by Sudanese intellectuals, researchers, academics, and business leaders from within Sudan and the diaspora, in partnership with national think tanks. The aim is to apply moral and intellectual pressure on key actors in the Sudanese political space to halt the war, achieve a just and comprehensive peace, and lay the foundation for reconstruction based on justice, conscience, and good governance. This is not about taking power. It’s about taking responsibility.
The initiative seeks to establish a collective platform for critical thinking and forward-looking vision. It brings together voices of experience and principle to counter the discourse of war and polarisation, and to develop political, humanitarian, and practical approaches to peace. It strives to rebuild Sudan on democratic and inclusive foundations.
The initiative will produce collective analytical statements and positions in response to the conflict’s developments. It aims to reorient public discourse toward civic solutions, build alliances with local, regional, and international research and civil institutions that support just peace, and endorse political and popular efforts that reflect the conscience of the Sudanese people yearning for an end to war and a new path to reconstruction. This initiative is neither a political party nor a political entity—it is a sustainable platform for Sudanese men and women of awareness—academics, intellectual activists, professionals, and students—who are weary of bloodshed and hopelessness and choose instead to heed the voice of reason and conscience. They offer practical visions and seek to exit the cycle of conflict by building a future where Sudan is rebuilt on the foundations of justice and equity.
Entities involved in the call
The Call of Conscience and Intellect encompasses a diverse range of individuals and institutions united by their shared moral and intellectual concerns for Sudan. These can be categorised as follows:
- Individuals:
Sudanese academics and researchers, both domestic and in the diaspora; writers, journalists, entrepreneurs, military and public figures known for their independent intellectual voices. - Think Tanks:
Sudanese, regional, and international research centres and excellence hubs; independent intellectual and cultural platforms; civil society organisations with a knowledge-based or rights-based orientation; academic and professional networks; and youth-led initiatives producing analytical insights and raising essential questions about Sudan’s future. - Potential Support Partners:
Regional and international think tanks focused on Sudan; universities and research centres facilitating independent national dialogue, analysis, and policy development.
Launching the “conscience of Sudan” campaign
As Sudan’s senseless war enters its third year—fought by two parties with no mandate from the people—and as destruction has laid bare the nation’s body through death, displacement, humiliation, and the collapse of state and society, it is imperative for Sudanese intellectuals to raise a popular and deeply grounded call. It is a call anchored in the belief that this moment demands a historic role from the collective conscience and intellect of the nation, after weapons have failed, politics has faltered, and all prior initiatives have crumbled.
To ensure this call resonates, it must be clear that its launchers do not seek to replace anyone, nor are they power-seekers or self-appointed custodians. Rather, they are invoking a national responsibility, asserting that Sudan’s future cannot remain hostage to barren armed struggle, empty television debates, or the manipulations of foreign powers. It must return to its rightful owners – the Sudanese people – through a new social contract based on an immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities, and a comprehensive national dialogue that centres the victims and the marginalised, not sidelines them. A dialogue that rebuilds the nation on the principles of citizenship and tolerance, not quotas and revenge.
This call is rooted in the belief that sincere, independent national ideas can change destinies, and that no people are ever truly defeated so long as they remain conscious, even if temporarily overpowered.
Through this earnest appeal, Sudan’s intellectuals announce the formation of a new national alliance of conscience and thought, one that seeks not power, but to end the war and open a horizon for just peace and a democratic civilian state. We will not fight with weapons. We will fight with conscience, compassion, and a commitment to rebuild a nation where every Sudanese can belong with pride. Victory, ultimately, will belong to committed thought and its honest expression of the people’s soul, not through weapons or manipulation, but through awakened conscience, sound reason, and patriotic devotion.
The author is the Executive Director of the Mamoun Behairy Centre, Khartoum. He can be reached at melshibly@hotmail.com