Sudan’s former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has dismissed the military’s recent territorial gains and formation of a new government as a façade that will not bring an end to the country’s devastating civil war.
In a rare interview with the Associated Press on the sidelines of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation’s governance conference in Morocco, Hamdok said that military advances — including the army’s recapture of Khartoum and other areas — are irrelevant without a political solution.
“Whether Khartoum is captured or not captured, it’s irrelevant,” said Hamdok. “There is no military solution to this. No side will be able to have outright victory.”
Hamdok, who became Sudan’s first civilian prime minister in 2019 after decades of military rule, stepped down in January 2022 following a military coup and a brief, unsuccessful reinstatement under international pressure. A year later, war erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), throwing the country into chaos.
The ongoing conflict has killed an estimated 24,000 people, though experts believe the actual toll is much higher. Nearly 13 million people have been displaced — including 4 million who have fled to neighboring countries — while famine and cholera threaten millions more.
Both the RSF, which emerged from the infamous Janjaweed militia, and the army have been accused of war crimes. The RSF faces allegations of genocide, while the army is accused of using chemical weapons and attacking civilians.
In March, the military claimed a major victory by retaking Khartoum from the RSF and appointed Kamil al-Taib Idris as prime minister in May, its first such move since the war began. However, fighting has continued, with the RSF regrouping in Darfur and advancing in other areas such as Kordofan.
Hamdok, now in exile and leading the pro-democracy Somoud coalition, dismissed the idea that these developments signal an end to the conflict. He called the newly formed government “fake” and warned that any attempt to begin reconstruction while war persists is “absolutely ridiculous.”
“Any attempt at creating a government in Sudan today is fake. It is irrelevant,” Hamdok stated, emphasizing that meaningful peace requires addressing the root causes of conflict: entrenched inequalities, ethnic divisions, and the contested role of religion in governance.
“Trusting the soldiers to bring democracy is a false pretense,” he added.
Foreign interference has further complicated the war, with both sides receiving suspected support from outside powers. Though a U.N. panel is investigating allegations that the United Arab Emirates has supplied weapons to the RSF, Hamdok declined to single out the UAE, warning against biased narratives that ignore other nations such as Iran, which has been accused of backing the Sudanese army.
“What we would like to see is anybody who is supplying arms to any side to stop,” he said.
As Sudan continues to face one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, Hamdok’s warning underscores the futility of military solutions and the urgent need for a credible, civilian-led peace process.