In Sudan, a unilateral declaration sets out commitments on humanitarian access 

Sudan’s war has ground on since April 2023, and every ceasefire has failed to hold. Fighting continues across Darfur, Kordofan, and more than 30 million people now depend on aid amid famine or near-famine conditions, disease, and repeatedly blocked humanitarian access. For civilians, the question is often brutally simple: will food and medicine be allowed in?  

Following sustained humanitarian engagement and close collaboration with the leadership, the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army-Transitional Council (SLM/A-TC) adopted a Unilateral Declaration on Humanitarian Access and Humanitarian Relief. In it, the movement committed to facilitating rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access, protecting humanitarian personnel and assets, safeguarding civilians’ access to assistance, prohibiting the use of starvation as a method of warfare, and putting internal measures in place to implement and monitor those commitments. 

But “the true measure of this declaration will be how these commitments are translated into action on the ground: through leadership, the issuing of clear instructions to commanders and fighters, continuous training, and accountability where necessary,” said Arz Alam, Geneva Call’s former Sudan Country Director. 

Neutrality is a core principle for Geneva Call, and this means engaging every party to Sudan’s war without taking sides. Alongside this declaration, the organisation continues its parallel engagement with both parties to the conflict across Sudan, with the sole aim of protecting as many civilians as possible on all sides of the conflict, not to legitimise or strengthen any party to the war. 

In a country where food insecurity has been exacerbated by restrictions on humanitarian access and the conduct of hostilities, a Unilateral Declaration on Humanitarian Access and Humanitarian Relief speaks directly to one of the gravest risks Sudanese civilians face. If translated into practice, these commitments have the potential to help ensure that conflict-affected communities can access food, medicine and humanitarian assistance safely and without obstruction. The Declaration also establishes clear humanitarian commitments against which future conduct can be assessed by communities, humanitarian actors and the signatory itself. Moreover, it reflects the priority Geneva Call has placed on humanitarian access, the protection of humanitarian workers and the prevention of conflict-related food insecurity in its engagement with armed groups and de facto authorities (AGDAs) in Sudan. 

By engaging in parallel with AGDAs and conflict-affected communities, Geneva Call has also facilitated humanitarian dialogue between them, creating a safe and trusted space for communities to raise and safely report protection concerns directly with AGDA leadership. This dialogue has enabled AGDAs to better understand civilian protection risks and, where possible, to take measures to address and mitigate them.  

But the signing of the declaration is only the beginning. Geneva Call will continue engaging with the SLM/A-TC, monitoring compliance with its commitments, and gathering feedback from conflict-affected communities on what they experience on the ground. This will help assess whether the commitments are being translated into practice and contributing to improved civilian access to humanitarian assistance and mitigating protection risks. Where gaps in compliance are identified, the findings will inform continued dialogue and follow-up with the group. 

Even in the worst wars, Geneva Call believes the conduct of those who carry weapons can be changed, for the sake of civilians caught in a fight they did not choose. Although each context is different, previous research conducted by Geneva Call in other parts of Sudan has shown encouraging improvements in community perceptions of safety due to the sustained engagement and dialogue.