Khartoum (KAAB TV) – Sudan’s top general has rejected a ceasefire proposal offered by U.S.-led mediators in a bid to end a devastating conflict that has ravaged the country for over two years.
In video remarks released by the military late Sunday, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan described the ceasefire proposal as unacceptable and “the worst yet,” accusing the mediators of being “biased” in their efforts to end the war.
The conflict in Sudan began in April 2023, when the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces clashed in the capital, Khartoum. The war stems from a power struggle between the two groups.
According to U.N. figures, more than 40,000 people have died, though aid organizations suggest the actual toll may be significantly higher.
The fighting has triggered the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, displacing over 14 million people, fueling disease outbreaks, and pushing parts of the country into famine.
Mediators, known as the Quad—comprising the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates—have spent more than two years trying to end the fighting and restore Sudan’s path toward a democratic transition, which was derailed by a military coup in 2021.
Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would focus more on helping to resolve Sudan’s war after being urged to act by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a White House visit.
On Monday, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called for an immediate ceasefire and urged both the military and RSF to negotiate a settlement. Writing on the social platform X, he also called for “safe and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid” and an end to arms transfers to Sudan. “We need peace in Sudan,” Guterres said.
Massad Boulos, a U.S. adviser on African affairs, told The Associated Press that the latest proposal envisions a three-month humanitarian truce, followed by a nine-month political process.
The RSF has agreed to the truce following global outrage over paramilitary atrocities in the Darfur city of El-Fasher. In a video speech late Monday, RSF commander Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo reaffirmed the group’s commitment to a three-month humanitarian truce and urged mediators to pressure the military to accept the proposal.
However, Gen. Burhan rejected the plan, saying it “is the worst document yet” because it “eliminates the Armed Forces, dissolves security agencies, and allows the militia to remain in place” — a reference to the RSF.
“If the mediation continues in this direction, we will consider it biased,” Burhan said. He also criticized Massad Boulos, accusing the U.S. adviser of attempting to “impose conditions on us” and warned that Boulos could become “an obstacle to the peace that all the people of Sudan seek.”
Burhan also targeted the UAE, another member of the Quad, asserting that the mediation group “cannot be considered innocent of responsibility, especially since the world has witnessed the UAE’s support for the rebels against the Sudanese state.”
In response, the UAE Foreign Ministry said Burhan’s rejection of the ceasefire proposal reflects “obstructive behavior,” which “must be called out.” The UAE has faced widespread accusations from rights groups of arming the RSF. U.S. intelligence assessments reportedly indicate that the Emirates has been supplying weapons to the paramilitaries for many months, though the UAE denies these claims.
Burhan dismissed allegations that the military is controlled by Islamists or that it has used chemical weapons against the RSF — accusations made by the Trump administration in May.
He said the military would only agree to a truce if the RSF fully withdraws from civilian areas, allowing displaced people to return home before political negotiations begin.
“We’re not warmongers, and we don’t reject peace,” Burhan said. “But no one can threaten us or dictate terms to us.”