As Sudan enters the fourth year of a devastating war, there is little prospect that diplomatic efforts underway can bring relief from the unimaginable suffering of the world’s largest humanitarian disaster.

“Even the one bright spot to emerge from the war, the courageous mutual aid societies that sprung up across the country to deliver assistance and hope in the absence of international involvement are being slowly extinguished,” writes analyst Cameron Hudson in a guest column examining Washington’s Asymmetry of Interests that are strangling the U.S.-led push for a ceasefire. As Sudan’s neighbors fuel the conflict with massive support for rival forces, Hudson says the United States is positioned to drive negotiations, “but its pursuit of peace in Sudan is being done for all the wrong reasons.”

In a statement marking the grim three-year anniversary, five ranking Democratic U.S. Senators called on the United States to spearhead a peace effort “that holds perpetrators of gross human rights violations accountable and will end the violence and lay the groundwork for a peaceful transition of power.” Hudson says the way forward is a “Sudanese-owned roadmap” with civlians involved alongside the warring parties.

A donor conference in Berlin, which the army-led Sudanese government has criticized for ignoring the country’s sovereignty, is aimed at mobilising increased international support for peace efforts and boosting assistance for humanitarian relief.