Sudan’s prime minister takes his peace plan to the UN, but US urges humanitarian truce now
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Sudan’s prime minister on Monday proposed a sweeping peace initiative to end A war that lasted approximately 1000 days However, the United States has called on both sides to accept the Trump administration’s call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.
Kamil Idris, who heads Sudan’s interim civilian government, said: Security Council His plan calls for a ceasefire overseen by the United Nations, the African Union and the Arab League, and the withdrawal of paramilitary forces from all areas they occupy, placing them in controlled camps and disarming them.
Sudan was plunged into chaos in April 2023 following a power struggle between the military and the powerful. paramilitary Rapid Support Forces It has escalated into open conflict involving widespread mass killings, rapes and ethnically motivated violence. This has reached war crimes Crimes against humanity, according to the UN and international rights groups.
It seemed unlikely that the RSF would support the prime minister’s proposal, which would essentially give victory to government forces and eliminate their military forces.
In an oblique reference to the ceasefire known as the Quad, backed by the United States and key mediators Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, Idris stressed to the UN Security Council that the government’s offer was “of its own making, not imposed on us.”
Rapid Support Forces in early November agreed on a humanitarian ceasefire. At the time, a Sudanese military official told The Associated Press that the military welcomed the Quartet’s offer but would only agree to a ceasefire if the RSF completely withdraws from civilian areas and lays down its weapons; This was the key provision of the plan that Idris put forward on Monday.
Idris said the ceasefire “has no chance of success” unless paramilitary forces are imprisoned in camps. He called on the 15 members of the Security Council to support his proposal.
“This initiative may mark the moment when Sudan steps back from the edge of the abyss and the international community – You! You! – stands on the right side of history,” the Sudanese prime minister said. he said. He said the council should be “remembered as a partner in recovery, not as a witness to collapse”.
Speaking at the council before Idris, US deputy ambassador Jeffrey Bartos stated that the Trump administration offered a humanitarian ceasefire as a way forward and said, “We call on both warring parties to immediately accept this plan without preconditions.”
Bartos said the Trump administration strongly condemns this attack Terrible violence in Darfur and the Kordofan region and the atrocities committed by both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, for which they must be held accountable.
UAE Ambassador Mohamed Abushahab, a member of the Quartet, said there was an urgent opportunity to implement a humanitarian ceasefire and provide aid to desperate Sudanese civilians.
“The lessons of history and current realities make it clear that unilateral efforts by any of the warring parties are not sustainable and will only prolong the war,” he warned.
Abushahab said the humanitarian ceasefire should be followed by a permanent ceasefire and a path to civilian rule independent of the warring parties.
Khalid Khiari, the UN assistant secretary-general for political affairs, expressed the council’s growing concerns about the Sudanese war. The supply of increasingly advanced weapons continues.
He criticized unnamed countries for refusing to halt arms supplies and both the government and paramilitary forces for remaining unwilling to compromise or de-escalate tensions.
“While they have been able to stop fighting to protect their oil revenues, they have so far failed to do the same to protect their population,” Khiari said. “Supporters of both sides should use their influence to help stop the carnage, not to cause more destruction.”
The devastating war in Sudan has killed more than 40,000 people, according to UN figures, but aid groups say the real number could be many times higher than that. The conflict has created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with more than 14 million people displaced, disease outbreaks and famine spreading across parts of the country.
