THE AFRICAN regional organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) has issued a strong appeal for immediate regional and continental intervention to halt the devastating war going on in Sudan.
In a press statement issued on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, from its headquarters in Lomé, Togo, the continental labour bod s urgently calling on the African Union (AU), Regional Economic Communities, and African governments to exercise “principled leadership” and take urgent, decisive steps to resolve a conflict that now threatens the stability and collective security of the continent.
The statement, signed by ITUC-Africa General Secretary, Akhator Joel Odigie, frames the war in Sudan not as an isolated tragedy but as a direct threat to African prosperity, unequivocally sending a message that the time for bystander diplomacy is over, and that Africa must lead in ending the war on its own soil.
“Africa cannot stand by while one of its largest nations descends further into chaos,” ITUC-Africa warns, emphasising that regional instability, mass displacement, and humanitarian suffering “do not respect borders.”
The appeal, according to the statement, forms part of a continent-wide “African Workers’ Day of Action for Sudan,” in which trade unions are mobilising in solidarity through vigils, moments of silence, and public awareness campaigns.
ITUC-Africa’s five core demands include an immediate ceasefire, full humanitarian access, protection for workers and activists, a return to civilian-led democratic transition, and justice for atrocities committed.
Central to the union’s demands is a call for the African Union to convene an emergency summit specifically focused on Sudan.
ITUC-Africa insists that such a summit must launch “robust mediation efforts with clear timelines and accountability measures,” moving beyond rhetoric to structured, outcome-driven diplomacy.
The organisation urged all African governments to actively deploy their diplomatic influence, calling on them to “pressure warring parties and external actors to cease hostilities.”
While also highlighting the need for a unified African diplomatic front to compel a ceasefire, the statement equally stressed that the sovereignty and stability of Sudan are inextricably linked to “Africa’s collective security and prosperity.”
Noting that the conflict should be seen as a pan-African priority, it contended that inaction would constitute a broader continental failure.
By directing its clarion call squarely at Africa’s premier political institutions, ITUC-Africa is positioning organised labour as a key moral and advocacy force, holding regional leadership to account.
ITUC-Africa is a pan-African trade union organisation created in November 2007 following the merger of two former African trade union organisations, namely ICFTU-Afro and DOAWTU. It has 18 million declared members and 105 affiliated trade union centres in 52 African countries, with its headquarters in Lome, Togo.
