Sudanese military chief sharply denounces new ceasefire proposal
Sudanese military chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan sharply denounced a proposal to end the country’s civil war submitted by a mediation group known as the Sudan Quad, according to Anadolu on November 24th.
The Sudan Quad (comprised of the United States, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates) submitted the ceasefire plan to Al-Burhan through US President Donald Trump’s Middle East and Africa envoy, Massad Boulos.
Al-Burhan promptly expressed his outrage at the proposal, decrying it as “the worst document ever submitted, as it eliminates the armed forces, calls for dissolving all security agencies, and keeps the rebel militia [Rapid Support Forces] in its areas.”
The Sudanese military, which has been at war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023, recently declared that the only political settlement it would agree to is one that enforces the total disarmament and territorial retreat of the RSF.
Sudan’s war between the two factions was predominantly triggered by a dispute over the RSF’s formal integration into the military, with the former effectively rejecting its subordination to the latter. This power struggle rapidly deteriorated into open conflict, with both sides vying for authority.
Sudan’s internationally recognised military-backed government recently articulated that it “does not deal officially” with the Quad. The motive behind such a rejection emanates from the UAE’s central role in the mediation mechanism, as Abu Dhabi is the RSF’s principal backer by supplying it with arms, funding, and intelligence.
On September 12th, the Quad issued a joint statement that called for a humanitarian truce to be implemented for three months, which would eventually pave the way for a transition to restore civilian rule alongside a permanent ceasefire.
However, despite initially agreeing to the humanitarian truce, the RSF has since openly defied it on several occasions. Al-Burhan warned that “if the mediation continues in this direction, we will consider it non-neutral.”
He also openly denounced Boulos, claiming that he “may become an obstacle to the peace sought by all Sudanese” and that he “is making threats and saying that the government is obstructing the arrival of humanitarian convoys and has used chemical weapons.”
On May 22nd, the US alleged that the Sudanese military used illicit chemical weapons during the conflict; however, it did not offer any evidence. A France24 investigation published on October 9th rectified this omission by offering video evidence of the deployment of chlorine gas, which is prohibited under the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Al-Burhan also dismissed Boulos’ allegation of widespread “Muslim Brotherhood influence within the army” as “untrue” and a “scare tactic” equipped to influence Americans, Egyptians, and Saudis towards opposing the military.
Anadolu, Maghrebi.org, Council on Foreign Relations, Middle East Eye, France24, Sudan Tribune
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