Seven major foundations, including The Kwame Nkrumah Foundation, The Walter & Albertina Sisulu Foundation, and The Julius Kambarage Nyerere Foundation, issued a joint statement on Thursday speaking with against the atrocities and grave crisis in the Republic of Sudan.

The statement views Sudan’s suffering as an “echo of unresolved struggles across the continent”.

The Foundations warned that Sudan’s profound civilizational depth, spanning the kingdoms of Kush and Nubia to anti-colonial movements, is now being “threatened”.

The ongoing conflict across Khartoum, Darfur, Kordofan, the Blue Nile, and the eastern regions signifies the “systematic weakening of national cohesion, civic authority, and the social contract”.

The Foundations diagnosed the crisis as being deepened by structural forces tracing back to the 1884–85 Berlin Conference, specifically citing the “fragmentation of identity, the artificial borders imposed on Sudan’s peoples, the strategic exploitation of mineral and agricultural resources,” and the “ongoing penetration of foreign interests competing for influence, territory, and extraction”.

They asserted that Sudan has become a “meeting ground for geopolitical ambitions and proxy struggles,” dynamics which mirror the warnings issued by Kwame Nkrumah in his work, “Neocolonialism: The Last Stage of Imperialism”.

The statement delivered a sharp censure of governance sustained through violence, stating: “Power sustained through the destruction of society is not authority. It is the collapse of the state”.

The foundations laid out four explicit assertions to guide the resolution of the conflict:

1. African Political Agency: Peace must be guided by Pan-African principles, demanding that the continent resolves its own conflicts through “collective will and coordinated diplomacy” [6(i)]. 2. Inclusive Mediation: Any mediation process must be inclusive of Sudanese civic groups, women’s movements, youth voices, and traditional authorities, warning that a settlement negotiated “solely among armed elites will replicate the conditions of conflict” [6(ii)].3. Justice and Accountability: A sustainable political order requires justice, including mechanisms for “truth-telling, redress, and accountability for grave violations of human rights” [7(iii)].4. Humanitarian Access: Humanitarian access must be immediately guaranteed, aligned with the Kampala Convention, acknowledging that the displacement now “extends beyond national borders and threatens regional stability” [7(iv)].

Calls for unified action

In a strong appeal for continental coordination, the foundations called upon the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and regional economic communities to renew their engagement in Sudan with a “unified diplomatic front”.

They stressed that Africa must speak “with one voice — not through fragmented initiatives, but through a coherent continental strategy”.

International partners, including the United Nations and the League of Arab States, were urged to align their actions with African-led efforts, ensuring that humanitarian aid remains neutral, inclusive, and “free from geopolitical interference”. The foundations cautioned the world not to “look away from Sudan’s suffering, nor instrumentalise its pain”.

The foundations stressed that the liberation struggles of Africa imposed a “permanent moral responsibility” to defend the humanity of all Africans, warning that the silence of leaders and intellectuals “would be a betrayal of the ideals for which our forebears fought and died”.

The statement quoted Julius Nyerere, who stated that “liberation is measured in the lives of ordinary citizens,” and Thomas Sankara, who “insisted that dignity is not negotiated”.

They also quoted Walter Sisulu, who stated that, “The people are our strength, in their service we shall face and conquer those who live on the backs of our people”, emphasising that the people’s collective will is the continent’s “only formidable force”.

The foundations proposed that Sudan’s “rebirth must be supported through an African-led reconstruction agenda”.

To facilitate this long-term goal, they proposed the convening of a “Continental Forum on Post-Conflict Renewal in Sudan” under the auspices of the African Union and in partnership with the Foundations represented.

The statement concluded with a powerful affirmation of solidarity, pledging to ensure that the suffering of Sudan “becomes the turning point for a new era of African solidarity and moral leadership”.

“The destiny of Sudan is inseparable from the destiny of Africa. The struggle continues,” the Communiqué affirmed.

IOL

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