Report Publication: “Prospects for Peace in the Sudans: Lessons from the African Union High-Level Panel”
Report Publication: “Prospects for Peace in the Sudans: Lessons from the African Union High-Level Panel”
What We Must Learn from the AU’s Most Ambitious Peace Mission
14 May 2025
Fikra for Studies and Development (FikraSD) in collaboration with The Thabo Mbeki Foundation are pleased to announce the release of the policy study “Prospects for Peace in the Sudans: Lessons from the African Union High-Level Panel” authored by Dr. Alex de Waal, Executive Director of the World Peace Foundation at Tufts University, and Dr. Abdul Mohammed, Chief of Staff of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP). The study presents an incisive, richly detailed analysis of the African Union’s most ambitious peace and state-building mission to date—its intervention in Sudan and South Sudan.
This publication is of profound relevance in light of the ongoing war in Sudan (2023–to date), a conflict that has already shattered institutions, displaced millions, and pushed large parts of the country into famine. As Sudan teeters on the brink of complete collapse, the “Lessons from the African Union High-Level Panel“ offers not only a retrospective account but a repository of lessons for political reconstruction, inclusive peace processes, and the reimagining of viable states in the Horn of Africa.
The authors meticulously document the conceptual, diplomatic, and operational efforts of the AUHIP, capturing how the Panel sought to redefine the problem of Sudan’s crisis as a national political dilemma—one rooted in a long history of instability and structural violence—and not merely a collection of regional conflicts. Central to this definition was the belief that Sudan’s problems, including the Darfur conflict and the issue of self-determination in South Sudan, could only be resolved through a comprehensive democratization process and a just reconfiguration of state-society relations.
Today, as foreign interventions exacerbate internal fragmentation and militarized actors subvert civilian aspirations, the study’s emphasis on inclusivity, national ownership, and multilateral legitimacy resonates with urgency. The work underscores how peace cannot be imposed by elite bargains or foreign leverage, but must be anchored in wide public engagement and a principled political framework.
We at FikraSD believe that this paper could serve as a foundational text for diplomats, civil society leaders, scholars, and policymakers committed to charting an end to the current war in Sudan. It provides conceptual clarity and institutional memory at a time when both are desperately needed.
About the Authors
Dr. Alex de Waal is the Executive Director of the World Peace Foundation and a world-renowned expert on Sudan and the Horn of Africa. He previously served as advisor to the African Union Panel on Darfur (AUPD) and the AUHIP, and has authored or edited numerous landmark works on conflict, famine, and human rights in the region.
Dr. Abdul Mohammed is the Chief of Staff of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) and a veteran peace practitioner. He has played central roles in mediation processes across the continent, notably in Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Horn of Africa, and is recognized for his long-standing commitment to African multilateralism and conflict resolution.
Fikra for Studies and Development reaffirms its commitment to critical scholarship, inclusive dialogue, and principled engagement in pursuit of democratic transformation and sustainable peace in Sudan and beyond.
For full access to the paper, please click on this link
Download Prospects for Peace in the Sudans: Lessons from the African Union High-Level Panel
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