AP
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Sudan’s top commander has rejected a cease-fire proposal put forward by a US-led mediator as the “worst ever”, dealing a blow to efforts to halt the devastating war that has gripped the African country for more than 30 months.
In video comments released by the military late Sunday, General Abdul Fattah Burhan said the proposal was unacceptable and accused the mediator of being “biased” in efforts to end the war.
Sudan was plunged into chaos in April 2023 when a power struggle between the military and the powerful militia Rapid Support Force erupted into open fighting in the capital Khartoum and elsewhere in the country.
The devastating war has killed more than 40,000 people, according to United Nations figures, but aid groups say this is an underestimate and the real number could be many times higher. It has forced more than 14 million people from their homes, fueled the spread of disease and triggered the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis, with parts of the country plunging into famine.
Mediators known as the “Quad” have been working for more than two years to end the fighting and reestablish a path to a democratic transition that was blocked by a military coup in 2021. These mediators are made up of the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates.
This month, US President Donald Trump said he would focus more on helping end the war in Sudan after being urged to take action by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a visit to the White House.
On Monday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for an immediate ceasefire and for both the military and RSF to negotiate a settlement.
Writing in X, he called for an end to the transfer of arms and combatants to Sudan, as well as “the safe and unhindered provision of humanitarian aid.”
“Sudan needs peace,” Guterres said.
Massad Boulos, the U.S. adviser for African affairs, told The Associated Press earlier this month that the latest proposal calls for a three-month humanitarian ceasefire followed by a nine-month political process. RSF announced it had agreed to a ceasefire following global outrage over the militia’s brutality in the Darfur city of El Fasher.
But Sudan’s top commander, Burhan, said the proposal was “considered the worst document ever” because it “removes the army, dismantles the security institutions and maintains the status quo of militias”, referring to the RSF.
He said, “If mediation continues in this direction, it will be considered a biased mediation.”
He lambasted his U.S. advisers, accusing them of “trying to impose conditions on us.”
“We are concerned that Massad Boulos will become an obstacle to the peace that all Sudanese people seek,” Burhan said, without providing further details about the plan.
In his comments, Burhan also took aim at the UAE. He said that since the Quad also includes Gulf states as members, “the mediation group is not irresponsible, especially since the whole world is witnessing the UAE’s support for rebels against the Sudanese state.”
The UAE Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday that Burhan had shown “obstruction” through his rejection of the ceasefire proposal, which “must be condemned.”
The UAE has been widely criticized by human rights groups for supplying weapons to militia groups.
The UAE denies supporting the militias.
Mr. Burhan denied that the military was controlled by Islamists or that it had used chemical weapons in the fight against the RSF, which was condemned by the Trump administration in May.
Burhan said the military would only agree to a cease-fire if the RSF fully withdraws from civilian areas and allows displaced people to return, before embarking on talks towards a political solution to the conflict.
“We are not warmongers and we are not refusing peace. But no one can threaten us or dictate terms,” he said.
