This week on The Horn, Alan talks with Abdul Mohammed, a former senior official on Sudan at the UN and the African Union, about Sudan's growing fragmentation after two years of war, risks of a de facto partition and prospects for getting a peace initiative on track.

In this episode of The Horn, Alan Boswell is joined by Abdul Mohammed, who has worked on Sudan for many years, including as a senior official in the UN and African Union. They discuss the risks of a de facto partition of the country as both the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces look to solidify their respective zones of control. They examine why previous peace initiatives have faltered, the expanding role of external powers in the conflict, and key takeaways from last week's London conference, which brought together Western, Arab and African countries. They consider what a multilateral effort to end the war might entail and whether the African Union is positioned to take the lead. Finally, they discuss whether there is still space for Sudan's civilian actors in future mediation efforts and what it would take to piece the country back together after two years of war.

Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

For more, check out our analyst notebook entries "London Conference Puts Paralysed Sudan Peace Efforts on Display" and "Battle for Darfur Reaches Fever Pitch as Sudan's War Enters Third Year" as well as our statement "Two Years On, Sudan's War is Spreading", as well as our Sudan country page.

Alan Boswell, Project Director, Horn of Africa

Abdul Mohammed, Former senior official at the UN and the African Union