Ella Hallums

The Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, co-chaired, with the United States, a high-level meeting of the Quad and Quintet on #Sudan, marking the first time the two coordination formats convened together. In his opening remarks, the Chairperson @ymahmoudali stressed that the meeting must translate into convergence & action. He underscored the gravity of the war, its growing regional spillovers & the burden on neighbouring countries hosting millions of refugees. He called for an immediate humanitarian truce & cessation of hostilities as a pathway to a durable ceasefire, reiterating that there is no military solution to the conflict. He stressed the need for an inclusive, Sudanese-owned & Sudanese-led political process leading to the restoration of constitutional order, while preserving Sudan’s unity, sovereignty & territorial integrity and rejecting fragmentation. The Chairperson also called for greater inclusivity in Sudanese dialogue, & urged an end to external military support fuelling the conflict. He emphasised that humanitarian, security & political tracks must advance in parallel and reinforce one another. Participants identified practical areas for follow-up calling for closer alignment of the political & security tracks, measures to reduce violence & protect civilians, & preparations for monitoring & verification of any agreement. They reaffirmed focus on ending the conflict, alleviating humanitarian suffering & supporting an inclusive Sudanese political process. They highlighted ongoing work on a humanitarian declaration & the need to address external military interference. The meeting called for stronger operational coordination between the Quad & Quintet, a shared roadmap linking humanitarian action, cessation of hostilities & civilian dialogue, & more regular coordination between technical teams. The Quintet stressed deeper engagement with Sudanese civilian constituencies & efforts to bring diverse civilian groups together around an inclusive political process. In his closing remarks, the AU Commission Chairperson called for the two platforms to move from convergence to systematic & operational coordination, helping overcome fragmentation. He identified three core priorities: humanitarian truce; cessation of hostilities; and an all-inclusive, Sudanese-owned dialogue. He commended the United States for its engagement with Sudanese stakeholders & recognised the tireless efforts of Senior Adviser Massad Boulos, while expressing appreciation for IGAD, UN, EU & other partners supporting efforts to bring peace to Sudan. Read @ au.int/en/pressreleases/2026… @StateDept @EU_Commission @AsstSecStateAF @AUC_PAPS @arableague_gs