Former US lawmakers urge UN rights council to push for immediate Sudan ceasefire
September 9, 2026 (GENEVA) — Two former prominent U.S. lawmakers have urged member states of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to intervene decisively in Sudan by demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to end the country’s devastating conflict.
In an open letter addressed to UNHRC members and observers ahead of the council’s 63rd session, former U.S. Representative Frank Wolf and former Ambassador Sam Brownback warned that the international response remains vastly disproportionate to the scale of human suffering.
Wolf is a long-standing human rights advocate who served in Congress from 1981 to 2015 and played a prominent role in shaping U.S. policy regarding Sudan. Brownback, a former U.S. senator and ambassador at large for international religious freedom, currently chairs the National Committee for Religious Freedom. Both noted their decades of advocacy for freedom, peace, and justice for the Sudanese people.
The letter underscored that the catastrophic war, which erupted in April 2023, has displaced more than 11 million people and left nearly 34 million—around 65% of the population—in dire need of life-saving humanitarian assistance.
Millions across Sudan face hunger and spreading disease, while a generation of children remains locked out of education. The authors emphasized that civilians continue to endure atrocities and serious crimes committed by the Sudanese Armed Forces, the Rapid Support Forces, and their allied militias.
Wolf and Brownback called on the UNHRC to use its collective and individual influence to press for an immediate ceasefire that could pave the way toward ending the war. They stressed that the UN Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council must adopt the same approach.
The appeal also denounced external interference, noting that foreign actors continue to directly fuel the conflict despite repeated warnings before the UN Security Council.
Ending the conflict, they argued, is essential to upholding the fundamental right to life, which requires implementing measures for immediate civilian protection, funding relief operations, and securing safe humanitarian corridors.
The two former officials commended the UNHRC for establishing the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan to investigate human rights violations committed by the warring parties. Decades of impunity set the stage for the current war, they noted, insisting that maintaining a credible accountability mechanism remains fundamental to achieving sustainable peace.