Key Takeaways
- Sudanese Prime Minister Kamil Idris has presented a proposal to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to end the country’s nearly three-year war.
- The proposal includes an immediate ceasefire, monitored by the UN, African Union, and League of Arab States, and a complete withdrawal of Rapid Support Forces (RSF) troops from the territory they control.
- The RSF has rejected the plan, calling it "nothing more than a recycling of outdated exclusionary rhetoric".
- The Quad group, comprising the US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE, has been pushing for a different plan, which includes a humanitarian truce and a civilian-led transition.
- Experts say that for any initiative to succeed, it must be accepted by the opposing side and gain the support of international and regional powers.
Introduction to the Conflict
The Sudanese Prime Minister, Kamil Idris, has presented a proposal to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to end the country’s nearly three-year war, which has created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The conflict began in April 2023, after a power struggle broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan "Hemedti" Dagalo. The recent massacres in Sudan’s Darfur region have drawn global attention to the conflict, with rights groups calling on rival sides to engage in dialogue to end the bloodshed.
The Peace Plan
Idris’s peace plan includes an immediate ceasefire, monitored by the UN, African Union, and League of Arab States, and a complete withdrawal of RSF troops from the territory they control. The RSF controls roughly 40% of Sudan, including most of the Darfur and Kordofan regions. The plan also includes the establishment of camps for RSF members, where they will be vetted and reintegrated into society. Idris promised to hold free elections after a transitional period aimed at fostering "inter-Sudanese dialogue". The UNSC has not voted on the proposal yet, and discussions are still underway.
Reaction to the Peace Plan
The RSF has rejected Idris’s plan, calling it "nothing more than a recycling of outdated exclusionary rhetoric". Al-Basha Tibiq, adviser to Hemedti, announced the rejection in a statement posted on Facebook. The Quad group, comprising the US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE, has been pushing for a different plan, which includes a humanitarian truce and a civilian-led transition. The US Ambassador to the UN, Jeffrey Bartos, urged the RSF and the SAF to accept an alternative plan for a humanitarian truce. The UAE has consistently denied allegations of arming and financing the RSF.
Expert Analysis
Experts say that for any initiative to succeed, it must be accepted by the opposing side and gain the support of international and regional powers. Al-Rashid Muhammad Ibrahim, who leads the Centre for International Political Relations Studies in Khartoum, noted that the novelty in the message lies in its clear vision and its reframing of the conflict in Sudan as an act of aggression. Political analyst Faisal Abdel Karim said that parts of the plan are reasonable, but others are not. Political analyst Al-Wathiq Kameir told Al Jazeera that Idris presented the peace plan during a briefing session requested by Sudan, in the absence of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Reactions to the Peace Plan
Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the secretary-general of the 22-member Arab League, praised the peace plan, commending its "highly important political, humanitarian, and security messages" and calling for "positive engagement" with the proposal. However, the fighting has continued, with the RSF claiming to have regained control of the town of Alouba, a strategic town in the Kordofan region, where thousands are currently fleeing violence. The SAF said it had destroyed an RSF convoy in North Darfur state. Sudanese officials reported that 1,700 people had fled to White Nile state, east of Kordofan, with many heading to the city of Kosti.
The Humanitarian Crisis
The war has forced 14 million people to flee their homes to find shelter and safety away from the heavy fighting that has killed tens of thousands. About 21 million people across the country are facing acute hunger, in what the UN calls the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. The city of Kosti is stretched thin when it comes to resources, as it is already hosting about two million refugees and displaced people. There is a lack of basic facilities for these people, and the authorities are calling on the international community and any organizations, local or foreign, to come to help with this situation, particularly given huge cuts in funding for the United Nations organizations specialized in providing aid in Sudan.