The United States envoy has urged the warring parties in Sudan to accept his truce proposal without imposing any preconditions.
Massad Boulos, an adviser to President Donald Trump on African and Arab affairs, stated during a news conference in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday that he had presented a “comprehensive” ceasefire plan to the warring generals in Sudan, but neither side accepted it. He emphasized, “We would like them to accept the specific text that was presented to them” in its original form, referring to the commanders of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
These comments followed an announcement from RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, declaring that his paramilitary group would adhere to a unilateral “humanitarian truce” for three months.
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the commander of the Sudanese army, criticized the text proposed by the White House envoy, calling it “the worst” proposal since the vicious civil war began in April 2023.
The leader of the military government said that a plan from “the Quad,” which includes Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, would weaken the army and keep the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in place.
Al-Burhan’s rejection of the plan shows his belief that the UAE supports the RSF with military and financial help, a claim the UAE denies. In March, the UAE criticized Sudan’s attempt to file a case against it in the International Court of Justice, calling the allegations a “cynical publicity stunt.”
Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic adviser to the UAE’s president, who was with Boulos on Tuesday, stated that the UAE supports efforts to end the war and condemns the “atrocities” committed by both the army and the RSF.
First Violation of Ceasefire
International organizations, satellite images, and eyewitness accounts have reported mass killings and rapes happening around el-Fasher for months. Amnesty International recently warned in a report that RSF (Rapid Support Forces) fighters are committing war crimes in el-Fasher.
Amy Pope, head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), told Al Jazeera that the main concern is getting access to people who have been cut off from humanitarian aid and services in el-Fasher. She said, “When humanitarian workers are in danger, when they are killed, shot, or detained, we cannot provide what people need to survive.”
Pope stressed that the most urgent issue is ensuring a ceasefire and creating a humanitarian corridor so that aid groups can bring help to civilians caught in the conflict.
Agnes Callamard, the secretary-general of the NGO, criticized the UAE for allegedly supporting the paramilitary forces. She said, “These atrocities are made possible by the United Arab Emirates’ support for the RSF. The UAE’s ongoing backing of the RSF fuels the cycle of violence against civilians in Sudan.”
Later, the Sudan Doctors Network NGO reported that the RSF and South Sudan’s SPLM attacked the al-Zallataya Mine in South Kordofan and kidnapped more than 150 men and children. The organization called this act a “heinous crime” and pointed out that it is the first clear break of the RSF’s supposed humanitarian truce. They said that the militias took young men and children to recruit them as future fighters, which is a war crime and goes against international humanitarian law.
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