Rooting Civilian Protection in Sudan’s Connectivity
PAEMA’s second publication in the Protection of Sudan series outlines actionable solutions to escalating threats against civilians in Sudan.
14 July 2025 Today, Preventing and Ending Mass Atrocities (PAEMA) has published its second living policy paper on civilian protection in Sudan, titled Rooting Civilian Protection in Sudan’s Connectivity. The paper comes as Sudan enters the third year of war, with belligerents continuing to evolve their tactics and civilians consistently targeted for direct violence.
Despite growing threats and humanitarian collapse, international actors have failed to take meaningful action on the protection of civilians (PoC). This failure is not due to a lack of tools or knowledge; it is a failure of political will.
As Shayna Lewis, PAEMA’s Sudan Specialist and Senior Advisor, says in the paper, “civilian protection is a responsibility, not a recommendation. Taken collectively, the proposals in this paper can serve as a path for advancing civilian protection in Sudan. However, true progress will require the collaboration of international, regional, national, and sub-national stakeholders, especially the meaningful inclusion of Sudanese civil society in the design and implementation of civilian protection modalities.”
The new paper identifies two focused, actionable interventions that could significantly reduce protection threats across Sudan:
The sustained restoration of telecommunications networks to reconnect civilians and facilitate life saving information flow.
The development of an Independent Integrated Conflict Alert and Response System (ICARSS) to provide real time early warning and coordinated action for both Sudanese and international stakeholders.
Both recommendations are deliberately designed to avoid dependence on UN Security Council resolutions, offering a pathway around the political gridlock that has stalled global response efforts.
This call was reinforced by PAEMA’s address to the UN Security Council last week, where we highlighted the urgent need to restore telecom access and reject the legitimization of actors actively undermining civilian protection.
“Whilst the international community pursues a ceasefire, it must also champion civilian protection in Sudan. Millions of Sudanese have lacked sustained access to telecoms networks for over a year and a half. Restored and maintained telecoms access must be prioritised to ensure civilians’ access to information and mobile banking to purchase food and water. But instead of a commitment to protect civilians, the RSF and SAF continue to find new ways of harming them whilst attempting to garner international political legitimacy.” - Shayna Lewis, speech at the UNSC, 27 June 2025
This publication builds on PAEMA’s earlier policy brief, The Commitment to Protect, and continues the call for practical, rights based solutions led by those closest to the crisis.
Read the full paper: paema.ngo/sudan-poc-2
Read PAEMA’s first PoC paper: paema.ngo/sudan-protection-civilians
For general inquiries, contact Shayna Lewis, Senior Advisor and Sudan Specialist at slewis@paema.ngo
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PAEMA's mission is to support communities in conflict-affected regions to prevent and end mass atrocities, pursue justice, and build foundations for sustainable peace. We work at the intersection between local communities and international stakeholders to ensure that those directly affected by conflict are also directly involved in developing strategies and solutions for lasting change.
