African Commission and UN Fact-Finding Mission Adopt 'Banjul Declaration on Sudan' — Call for Cessation of Hostilities at 3-Year War Mark

The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) and the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan jointly adopted the 'Banjul Declaration on Sudan' on May 12, 2026, in Banjul, The Gambia. The Declaration urges all parties — the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — to take immediate steps toward a cessation of hostilities, calls for humanitarian access, and demands accountability for atrocity crimes documented over three years of devastating civil war (April 2023 – May 2026). The Banjul Declaration is a human rights and peace advocacy document from Africa's leading human rights institution and the UN's dedicated monitoring mechanism for Sudan — it does not constitute a ceasefire agreement between the parties. Sudan's civil war has now entered its third year: 150,000+ deaths documented, 14 million people displaced (the world's largest displacement crisis), and famine documented in Darfur regions. The SAF retook Khartoum in March 2025 but the RSF controls most of Darfur. Al Jazeera published a detailed analysis on May 12 ('Why have peace efforts failed to end conflict in Sudan?') documenting how the Jeddah process, AU-mediated talks, and US Envoy Boulos's five-pillar roadmap have all failed to produce a sustainable ceasefire. The International Criminal Court has expanded its Sudan investigation to include RSF crimes. US Special Adviser Massad Boulos has been pressing both parties toward a three-month humanitarian truce but without preconditions both sides find acceptable. The Banjul Declaration adds institutional pressure from Africa's human rights system; without party buy-in or enforcement mechanisms, the Sudan peace process remains effectively absent despite international condemnation.