A political conference in Berlin, hosted under the so-called Quint Mechanism (a joint initiative of the European Union, United Nations, African Union, IGAD, and the Arab League), is gathering around 40 Sudanese civil society groups and political parties this month to draft a roadmap toward a ceasefire and democratic transition. Now entering its fourth year, Sudan's war — which erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces — has displaced one in every four Sudanese citizens, with five million refugees and nine million internally displaced, making it the world's largest humanitarian crisis. Analysts warn the conference faces serious obstacles, including the absence of the warring parties themselves, the Sudanese government's formal rejection of the talks, and deeply inadequate humanitarian funding that has reached only 16% of the required $2.9 billion target.