Washington: The US, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt have proposed a roadmap for peace in conflict-battered Sudan. The plan calls for a permanent ceasefire and a transition to civilian-led governance. The foreign ministers of these four countries issued a joint statement calling for a three-month humanitarian truce in Sudan, which would be followed by a permanent ceasefire.
According to Deutsche Welle, the plan put forth by the foreign ministers includes a nine-month transitional process aimed at establishing civilian rule in Sudan. The ongoing conflict in the northeast African nation has led to the deaths of tens of thousands of people, displaced millions, and triggered what the United Nations describes as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. The foreign ministers' meeting was initially scheduled for July in Washington but was postponed due to disagreements between Egypt and the UAE.
The joint statement emphasized that Sudan's future governance should be decided by the Sudanese people through an inclusive and transparent transition process, free from control by any warring party. No immediate response was received from the Sudanese army or the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) regarding the statement. Egypt, an important ally of Sudan's regular army, has consistently called for the protection of state institutions. Meanwhile, the UAE has been accused by the army of supporting the RSF, a charge the Gulf state denies but which US lawmakers and experts have deemed credible.
The statement also expressed support for Sudan's unity, but it remains unclear whether the warring parties are willing to engage. The Sudanese army currently controls the east, north, and center of the country, while the RSF holds most of the Darfur region, where it has declared a parallel government, raising fears of a de facto partition. In June, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for a weeklong ceasefire in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, which the army agreed to but the RSF rejected.
The international statement highlighted that there is no viable military solution to the conflict, and maintaining the status quo results in unacceptable suffering and risks to peace and security. It also rejected any role for violent extremist groups linked to the Muslim Brotherhood in the transition process, referring to the Islamists who controlled Sudan for three decades until 2019 and have resurged during the war in support of the army.
On the same day, the US imposed sanctions on Sudanese Finance Minister Jibril Ibrahim, an Islamist, and the Baraa Ibn-Malik Brigade, an Islamist militia that has fought alongside the army. The US Treasury Department stated that these sanctions aim to limit Islamist influence within Sudan and curtail Iran's regional activities, which have contributed to regional destabilization, conflict, and civilian suffering.