Sudan army adviser says US ceasefire plan risks Libya-style partition

A top adviser to Sudan's army-led authorities told Reuters that a US ceasefire proposal could push the country towards a Libya-style partition in its current form. 1 2 Reuters described the remarks as some of the strongest criticism by a Sudanese official of the plan so far. 1 The proposal, put forward by US Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos, would impose a 90-day ceasefire, followed by negotiations to end the war and resume the move to civilian rule. 1 2

The adviser, Amjad Farid, who advises army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on political and international affairs, said the army-led government had proposed changes, chiefly an internationally monitored withdrawal of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) from urban areas, but the US appeared to ignore them. 1 Farid said Boulos seemed to be pressing Sudan to accept a de facto partition and appeared to accommodate the RSF's continued existence and a place for it in Sudan's political future. 1 2 A week earlier, Reuters reported that Burhan's visa for the UN General Assembly had been withheld because he had not accepted the proposal, and two Sudanese diplomats said a planned Washington meeting with Boulos was cancelled as a result. 1 2

The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but said last week that neither the RSF nor the army represents legitimate, constitutional governance for Sudan. 1 2 The US has accused the RSF of genocide and the army of war crimes, including chemical weapons use; the army and RSF have fought since April 2023. 1 2 The RSF has been trying to set up a parallel government in Nyala, Darfur, and has made no recent statement on the plan; its leader has said its fighters will keep fighting after recent battlefield defeats. 1 2