Sudan's Military Chief Rejects US-Backed Peace Plan as RSF Agrees to Humanitarian Truce

In a significant setback to peace efforts, Sudan's leading general has rejected a US-led ceasefire proposal aimed at ending the devastating 30-month conflict ravaging the African nation.

General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, in video remarks released by the military on Sunday evening, described the proposal as "unacceptable" and "the worst yet," while accusing international mediators of bias in their conflict resolution attempts.

Sudan has been engulfed in chaos since April 2023, when longstanding tensions between the military and the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted into open warfare across Khartoum and other regions of the country.

The conflict has claimed over 40,000 lives according to United Nations estimates, though aid organizations suggest the actual death toll could be substantially higher. The war has created what experts call the world's largest humanitarian emergency, with more than 14 million people displaced from their homes, widespread disease outbreaks, and famine conditions in parts of the country.

For over two years, mediators from the Quad—comprising the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates—have attempted to halt the fighting and restore Sudan's derailed democratic transition process, which was interrupted by a military coup in 2021.

Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump indicated plans to focus greater attention on resolving Sudan's conflict after discussions with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his White House visit.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres made an appeal on Monday for an immediate ceasefire, urging both the military and RSF to negotiate a settlement. On social media platform X, he called for "safe & unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid" and an end to arms transfers to Sudan, emphasizing: "We need peace in Sudan."

Massad Boulos, a US adviser for African affairs, recently disclosed that the latest proposal includes a three-month humanitarian truce followed by a nine-month political process.

While the RSF has agreed to the proposed truce—following global condemnation of their atrocities in Darfur's el-Fasher city—General Burhan remained firmly opposed. In a video address late Monday, RSF commander General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo reaffirmed his group's commitment to the humanitarian truce and urged mediators to pressure the military to accept the terms.

Burhan criticized the proposal for what he described as attempting to "eliminate the Armed Forces, dissolve security agencies and keep the militia where they are," referring to the RSF. He warned that continued mediation along these lines would be considered biased.

The Sudanese general also criticized US adviser Boulos, accusing him of trying to "impose conditions" and suggesting he might "be an obstacle to the peace that all the people of Sudan seek," though offering no specific details about these concerns.

In his remarks, Burhan specifically targeted the UAE, noting that as a Quad member, the Gulf nation was "not innocent of responsibility, especially since the entire world has witnessed the UAE's support for the rebels against the Sudanese State."

The UAE's Foreign Ministry responded Monday with a statement characterizing Burhan's rejection as "obstructive behavior" that "must be called out."

Human rights organizations have widely accused the Emirates of supplying weapons to the paramilitaries. Recent Associated Press reporting cited U.S. intelligence assessments indicating the UAE, a close American ally, has been providing arms to the RSF—a claim the Emirates denies.

Burhan rejected allegations that the military is controlled by Islamists or that it employed chemical weapons against the RSF—an accusation made by the Trump administration in May.

He stated that the military would only agree to a ceasefire when the RSF completely withdraws from civilian areas, allowing displaced persons to return home, before engaging in political settlement discussions.

"We're not warmongers, and we don't reject peace," Burhan concluded, "but no one can threaten us or dictate terms to us."