Sudan's army-backed government has signalled conditional support for a new U.S. proposal aimed at ending the country's three-year civil war, but insists that any agreement must include the complete withdrawal of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) from all cities they have occupied.
Sudan's army-backed government has signalled conditional support for a new U.S. proposal aimed at ending the country's three-year civil war, but insists that any agreement must include the complete withdrawal of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) from all cities they have occupied.
According to documents seen by Reuters and confirmed by senior Sudanese officials, the U.S. proposal calls for an immediate 90-day humanitarian truce between the warring sides. The ceasefire would provide space for negotiations on a permanent peace agreement and a transition towards civilian-led elections.
The proposal also envisages a United Nations-led mechanism to oversee limited RSF withdrawals, with priority given to North Darfur and North Kordofan.
North Darfur has been a focal point of the conflict following the RSF's recent capture of al-Fashir after months of fighting, while North Kordofan has faced an ongoing campaign of RSF drone attacks.
However, the Sudanese government objected to the idea of only partial withdrawals.
Documents reviewed by Reuters show that Khartoum accepted most elements of the U.S. initiative but demanded that any agreement require the RSF to withdraw from all cities it has occupied since May 11, 2023.
The issue of troop withdrawals has repeatedly derailed previous attempts to secure a ceasefire, with the army maintaining that the RSF must relinquish control of territory it seized during the conflict.
In addition to the humanitarian truce, the U.S. initiative calls for the creation of a unified national army and includes provisions for disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of fighters.
The framework also proposes a civilian-led political process that would exclude the Muslim Brotherhood and armed groups accused of committing atrocities during the war.
The proposal appears to represent Washington's latest effort to bring an end to a conflict that has devastated Sudan since fighting erupted in April 2023.
The war began after relations between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF collapsed over plans to integrate the paramilitary group into the national military and oversee a transition to civilian rule.
There has been some confusion over Sudan's response to the proposal.
After initially informing the UN Security Council that Sudan had rejected the plan, U.S. Senior Adviser for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos later suggested there had been progress.
In a social media post last week, Boulos said he was "extremely pleased" to learn that Sudanese army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had apparently accepted, rather than rejected, the latest peace initiative.
The U.S. State Department has not commented publicly on the latest developments, while Sudan's Foreign Ministry has yet to respond.
A senior RSF official told Reuters that the group had received the proposal, welcomed it and submitted a written response.
The official did not disclose details of the response.
The RSF has previously voiced support for peace initiatives while continuing military operations on the ground.
The paramilitary group currently controls much of the Darfur region and has announced plans to establish a parallel administration there.
UN experts have accused the RSF of committing acts of genocide in Darfur, allegations the group denies.
The conflict remains one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
Millions of people have been displaced, while multiple estimates suggest hundreds of thousands have been killed since the war began.
Large parts of the country face severe food insecurity, disease outbreaks and the collapse of basic services.
With both sides continuing military operations and key disagreements unresolved, the latest U.S.-backed proposal faces significant challenges despite tentative signs that neither side has completely rejected the initiative.
Georgia and Armenia have resumed talks on their 225-kilometre border after years of limited progress, with disputes over historical boundaries, far...
China has extended the suspension of its additional 24 per cent tariff on U.S. goods for another two months, while keeping a 10 per cent levy in pl...
Russia and Ukraine are set to return to Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for a fourth round of U.S.-brokered peace talks, with European participation, security...
Poland has declared two days of national mourning after a gunman opened fire in Kraków's historic main square. Investigators are examining possible far-right influences and the discovery of three bodies at the suspect's home.
The gunman who allegedly killed six people in Poland’s unprecedented mass shooting in central Kraków on Saturday has died in hospital, police said early Monday. The attacker had demonstrated advanced military-style marksmanship skills, according to a spokesperson for the shooting club he attended.
Monday marks the second of two days of national mourning in Poland as police bolstered security after six people were killed in a mass shooting in Kraków.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by the Iran-aligned group towards Riyadh on Sunday (8 November), after loud booms were heard in the Saudi capital. The Aramco building was damaged by falling debris.
Azerbaijan is marking the sixth anniversary of Victory Day on Sunday, 8 November, with President Ilham Aliyev visiting the Victory Monument in Khankendi, laying a wreath and paying tribute to servicemen killed during the 44-day Second Garabagh War in 2020.
China has extended the suspension of its additional 24 per cent tariff on U.S. goods for another two months, while keeping a 10 per cent levy in place, as Beijing and Washington seek to maintain their fragile trade truce.
Russia and Ukraine are set to return to Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for a fourth round of U.S.-brokered peace talks, with European participation, security guarantees and territorial disputes expected to shape the negotiations.
The bodies of 13 migrants have been recovered from a boat off the Greek island of Crete, the Greek coast guard said on Monday. A further 18 people were rescued, with four taken to hospital.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has tasked Gadi Eisenkot, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main rival, with trying to form a government after an inconclusive election. The decision, announced on Saturday, follows a vote that left neither candidate with a clear path to power.
U.S. President Donald Trump is set to host Qatar’s prime minister at the White House on Monday as efforts to end the conflict with Iran stall, with Washington and Tehran still far apart on the terms of a possible agreement.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment