New Commitments to Peace in Sudan and South Sudan

The Sudan and South Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SSSCBC) has initiated a new three year strategic plan to strengthen peace, humanitarian services, public policy engagement, and reconciliation in both nations. This plan aims to serve not only as a statement or administrative document, but as a shared commitment, framework, and roadmap rooted in Catholic social teaching. Using evidence-based and coordinated plans, it will focus on building peace, reconciliation, and healing in two countries that are suffering deeply from war, violence, and injustice.

This is a small piece of good news amid a horrific and dire situation after three years of war. The World Health Organization estimated that 33.7 million people in Sudan, more than 60% of the population, need humanitarian assistance this year. In an independent fact-finding mission, the UN found evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in and around El-Fasher, noting “their consolidation, scale, systematic nature and cumulative effects may indicate a path to genocide”. More than 6,000 people were killed over three days when the RSF seized El-Fasher in October 2025. Throughout the war generally, the UN has found evidence of widespread atrocities perpetrated by both the army and RSF.

On July 9, the International Criminal Court (ICC) Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan told the BBC that they “have now found concrete evidence that links what is happening on the ground through linkage evidence to specific persons in leadership mode.” This “breakthrough” will help the ICC prosecute leaders responsible, although the timeframe is still up in the air.

While diplomatic action has largely stalled in promoting peace negotiations, Congress is currently considering two pieces of legislation: the Senate’s PEACE in Sudan Act of 2026 (S. 4726) and the House’s U.S. Engagement in Sudanese Peace Act (H.R. 1939). Both are efforts to strengthen U.S. policy towards peacemaking in Sudan, though there are differences.

The bipartisan bill in the Senate, called the “PEACE in Sudan” Act or “Preventing External Aggression and Conflict Escalation in Sudan Act of 2026,” was co-sponsored by Senators Jim Risch, Chris Coons, John Cornyn, Jeanne Shaheen, and Cory Booker, introduced in June, and has been placed on the Senate legislative calendar. It seeks to “utilize all available diplomatic and economic tools to secure an end to the war in Sudan.” It would require assessments of eligibility for armed actors in Sudan to be designated as global terrorists, report on the involvement of foreign governments and other groups in the conflict, authorize sanctions against persons who support or gain from the violence, support U.S. political engagement through extending the authorization for a U.S. special envoy for Sudan, a position that is currently vacant, and more.

The House bill, introduced by Representative Gregory Meeks and 31 other Democratic lawmakers, primarily aims to use sanctions to hold perpetrators and enablers accountable for atrocities, obstruction of humanitarian aid, and violations of the United Nations Arms Embargo on Darfur. It also includes other measures like creating a strategy to protect civilians, deliver aid, and protect peace, supporting the Special Envoy for Sudan, promoting possible UN or African Union initiatives, and empowering the involvement of Sudanese women and youth.

As this conflict continues to devastate millions of lives, these bills are vital steps toward promoting diplomacy for peace, including holding perpetrators accountable, prohibiting weapons sales, and promoting the U.S. special envoy for Sudan. They represent Congressional interest in taking action to promote peace in Sudan. But the biggest sources of hope for peace in Sudan are close to home, including the grassroots mutual aid network known as Emergency Response Rooms (ERR), which has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. The heart of the humanitarian response in Sudan, this network of local community groups uses the scant resources that they have to provide food, healthcare, shelter, education, and other essential support to people impacted by war, displacement, and state collapse.

The Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns is also involved in collaborative advocacy efforts. We have recently signed on to joint letters urging the Treasury Department to sanction several United Arab Emirates-based and other entities that are part of a network supporting Colombian mercenaries fighting alongside the RSF; urging the State Department to designate the RSF as an “entity of religious concern”; and calling on the Senate Armed Services Committee to monitor and take steps to stop the flow of Chinese-made and other weapons to the RSF through the United Arab Emirates.

FAITH IN ACTION: Tell your Members of Congress to promote peace in Sudan and support legislation for Sudan.

Photo: Launch of the three year strategic plan of the SSSCBC. Courtesy of AMECEA News.