International Mediators Meet in Khartoum in New Push to End Sudan's War

Envoys from five international bodies mediating Sudan's civil war convened in Khartoum this week, the first time representatives of the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the League of Arab States, the European Union and the United Nations, known collectively as the Quintet, have all been in the Sudanese capital together since the conflict began in April 2023.

Pekka Haavisto, the UN secretary-general's personal envoy for Sudan, arrived in Khartoum on Sept. 6 and met with the chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereignty Council, the prime minister, the foreign minister and other senior officials before the wider Quintet grouping convened on Sept. 9. Haavisto told mediators that negotiation remained the only viable path to a comprehensive ceasefire, according to accounts of the talks, with discussions covering de-escalation measures, protection of civilians and the exchange of detainees.

The visit came days after the UN Security Council voted unanimously to extend sanctions on Sudan for one month, a move the council described as intended to keep the door open for continued talks while mediators try to build momentum toward a political process, according to the Security Council's own account of the resolution.

A war with no military end in sight

Sudan's conflict pits the Sudanese Armed Forces against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in a war that has killed more than 100,000 people and displaced millions more, according to humanitarian estimates cited by mediators. Famine was confirmed in parts of Sudan last year, one of only two instances of confirmed famine recorded worldwide in 2025, underscoring the scale of the humanitarian collapse that has accompanied the fighting.

The Quintet, formed to coordinate what had been overlapping and sometimes competing outside mediation efforts, has repeatedly said there is no military solution to the war and that any political process must be paired with concrete steps to reduce violence and protect civilians. Sudan's military leadership and civilian political groups have both said in recent days that they support the idea of a dialogue process in principle, but they remain divided over its timing, sequencing and who should be included at the table, according to reporting from Arab News.

The United Nations' Sudan country team has continued to warn that humanitarian access remains severely constrained in contested areas, complicating efforts to deliver aid even where local truces have briefly held.

What's next

Haavisto is expected to continue meetings with political and civilian representatives through the remainder of the week as part of an effort mediators describe as widening the process beyond the two warring militaries to include political parties and civil society groups sidelined since the war began. The one-month renewal of sanctions gives the Security Council a near-term deadline to assess whether the Khartoum talks have produced enough movement to justify further diplomatic investment, or whether the council will need to consider additional measures against parties blocking a ceasefire. Diplomats involved in the process have cautioned that even a successful round of talks in Khartoum is unlikely to produce a rapid breakthrough, given the depth of mistrust between the two military factions and the fragmentation of Sudan's political landscape after more than two years of war.