In this session, Mr. Kahlmeyer and Mr. Svendsen examine the war in Sudan through a European policy lens. They assess the international and European responses to the conflict, the political constraints shaping diplomatic engagement, and the challenges of accessing reliable information from the field, in the context of the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with over 30 million people in need of assistance and more than 12 million displaced. 

They explain that international efforts, led mainly by the UN and financially supported by the EU, remain focused on humanitarian aid, while repeated diplomatic initiatives and ceasefire attempts have failed. The war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces continues because neither side faces meaningful political or military costs for rejecting negotiations, and both benefit from sustained regional and international support. 

Mr. Kahlmeyer and Mr. Svendsen warn that Europe is underestimating Sudan’s strategic relevance, particularly in relation to displacement and migration, Red Sea and maritime security, regional instability, and the spread of weapons and armed networks. They argue that meaningful leverage over a peace process lies primarily with regional actors, especially Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, and highlight how Sudan’s war economy, built on gold, oil, and gum, sustains the fighting.

The interviewees also explain how conflict monitoring and research are conducted despite access constraints. This is done through the triangulation of conflict event data, satellite and remote-sensing analysis, displacement statistics, and trusted local civil society networks. Finally, Mr. Kahlmeyer and Mr. Svendsen argue that Europe’s dominant humanitarian framing obscures the political and economic drivers of the war and the role of Sudanese communities as local conflict-management actors. They call for a stronger European debate on political accountability, civilian governance, and long-term conflict prevention alongside humanitarian assistance.

André Kahlmeyer and Kristian Svendsen are senior experts at Conflict Management Consulting (CMC), an independent Brussels-based consultancy working with the EU, UN, bilateral donors,  and NGOs on conflict analysis, monitoring,  and evaluation in fragile and conflict-affected settings.

André Kahlmeyer is the founder and CEO of CMC and an expert in governance, evaluation, and humanitarian programming, with more than twenty years of experience across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, including extensive field experience in Sudan.

Kristian Svendsen is Lead on PeaceTech and Senior Researcher at CMC, specialising in tech-enabled monitoring and analysis of hard-to-reach crises, with a particular focus on the Horn of Africa and Sudan.

Interviewers: Camilla Cormegna, Leonardo Pesci, and Angelo Saad - Africa Desk