Online Meeting- The World’s Worst Humanitarian Crisis: Sudan and the International Response, 12 August 2025

On 12 August 2025, members of Forward Thinking’s network convened online to discuss recent developments in Sudan, which has been described by the United Nations as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. In light of limited media coverage, this meeting provided a unique opportunity to hear directly from Sudanese civil society leaders, whose first-hand accounts are crucial for understanding the crisis and developing an effective international response.

The discussion was led by Sudanese civil society leaders. Participants included parliamentarians, former parliamentarians, senior diplomats, journalists and experts from Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Finland, Iraq, Ireland, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sudan, Sweden, and the UK.

Sudanese speakers provided first-hand testimonies of deliberate starvation, cholera outbreaks, weekly malnutrition deaths, and medical procedures without anaesthesia. They emphasised this is a regional conflict fuelled by external actors, not simply a civil war. Participants highlighted critical gaps in the international response including insufficient aid access, lack of media coverage, and failed negotiations.

Key recommendations emerging from the discussion included creating safe humanitarian corridors, directing funding specifically to women-led organisations that are providing essential services, engaging Gulf states to increase financial contributions, and coordinating high-level advocacy initiatives to demand an immediate ceasefire.