‘US ceasefire plan for Sudan could lead to Libya-style partition’

A top adviser to Sudan's army-led authorities has warned that the US's proposed ceasefire plan for Sudan's civil war could potentially result in a situation similar to Libya's political fragmentation. This strong criticism from an official source marks the strongest stance yet against the plan. The remarks were made a week after it was revealed that General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the army leader, had his visa to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York withheld due to his failure to endorse the ceasefire proposal.

Sudan's army has been engaged in a conflict with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023, a dispute that stemmed from disagreements on integrating their forces into a transition to civilian rule. The US proposal, presented by Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos, would entail a 90-day ceasefire, followed by negotiations aimed at concluding the war and resuming the path towards civilian rule.

Amjad Farid, a political and international affairs adviser to Burhan, disclosed to Reuters that the army-led government had submitted its amendments to the deal, with a key demand being the internationally monitored withdrawal of the RSF from urban areas. However, according to Farid, the US seemed to disregard these modifications.

"Mr. Boulos seems to be pushing us to accept a de facto partitioning of the country akin to Libya's model," Farid stated from New York, where he attended the General Assembly. Farid expressed concern that the current approach, as proposed by Boulos, appears to endorse the militia's continuation and secure a political role for them in Sudan's future.

A Sudanese delegation had been scheduled to meet with Boulos to deliberate on the ceasefire in Washington the previous week, but the meeting was aborted after Burhan's visa was withheld, two unidentified Sudanese diplomats revealed to Reuters. The US State Department has not yet provided a comment on the matter. In a recent statement, the State Department asserted that neither the RSF nor the army "represent legitimate, constitutional governance for Sudan."