A Sudanese official criticized a proposed US ceasefire aimed at ending the country’s conflict, saying the plan could result in a de facto partition of Sudan similar to neighboring Libya.
US Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos proposed a 90-day ceasefire followed by negotiations intended to end the war and resume the transition to civilian rule.
“Mr Boulos seems to be putting pressure on us to accept a de facto partitioning of the country similar to Libyan model,” Amjad Farid, an adviser to army leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, told Reuters from New York, where he attended the UN General Assembly.
“Our concern is that the approach Mr Boulos continues to advance appears to accommodate the militia’s continued existence and preserve a place for it in Sudan’s political future,” Farid added, referring to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Farid said al-Burhan’s visa to attend the UN General Assembly in New York had been withheld because he had not yet accepted the proposal.
According to Farid, the government did not accept the deal because the US had apparently ignored its proposed changes. Its principal demand was an internationally monitored withdrawal of the RSF from urban areas.
The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last week, it said neither the RSF nor the armed forces “represent legitimate, constitutional governance for Sudan.”
Washington has accused the RSF of committing genocide and the army of war crimes, including the use of chemical weapons.
Sudan’s army and the RSF have been fighting since April 2023, when disagreements arose over the integration of their forces during a planned transition to civilian rule.
Experts have raised concerns that the conflict could leave Sudan divided along lines similar to Libya, where rival eastern and western administrations remain. For the past year, the RSF has sought to establish a separate government in Nyala, in western Darfur.
