A United States envoy on Tuesday called on the leaders of Sudan’s warring factions to accept a proposed ceasefire agreement without preconditions. The call came amid separate announcements from the opposing forces regarding a truce and continued reports of atrocities from non-governmental organizations.
Speaking at a news conference in Abu Dhabi, Massad Boulos, a U.S. senior adviser for Arab and African affairs, stated he had presented a “comprehensive” ceasefire plan to both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
“We would like them to accept the specific text that was presented to them,” Boulos said, confirming that neither side had accepted the proposal in its original form. The plan was developed by a group of mediators that includes the U.S., Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
The envoy’s remarks followed differing responses from the two sides. On Monday, RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, announced his group would observe a three-month unilateral “humanitarian truce.” A day earlier, SAF commander Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had publicly criticized the mediators’ proposal, describing it as “the worst” since the conflict began in April 2023. Al-Burhan stated the plan would disadvantage the army while leaving the RSF intact.
Sudan’s military leadership has previously accused the UAE of providing military and financial support to the RSF, an accusation the UAE has consistently denied. In March, the UAE described Sudan’s attempt to file a case against it at the International Court of Justice as a “cynical publicity stunt.”
Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the UAE’s president, appeared alongside Boulos at the press conference. Gargash said his country supports efforts to end the conflict and condemned reported “atrocities” committed by both factions.
Humanitarian groups continue to document the conflict’s impact on civilians. On Tuesday, Amnesty International released a report alleging that RSF fighters committed war crimes in el-Fasher, the final SAF-held city in the Darfur region, which the RSF captured last month.
“These atrocities were facilitated by the United Arab Emirates’ support for the RSF,” said Agnes Callamard, the organization’s secretary-general, in a statement accompanying the report.
Later on Tuesday, the Sudan Doctors Network, a non-governmental organization, reported an attack on the al-Zallataya Mine in South Kordofan state by the RSF and an allied force. The group said more than 150 men and children were abducted in what it called a “heinous crime” and a “blatant violation” of the RSF’s declared truce. The organization stated the purpose of the abductions was to forcibly recruit them as fighters.
