Sudan’s top general rejects US-led ceasefire proposal, calling it "the worst yet"

Sudan’s top general has rejected a ceasefire proposal put forward by U.S.-led mediators, describing it as “the worst yet,” in a setback to international efforts to end the country’s devastating conflict.

In video comments released on November 23, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan said the proposal was unacceptable, accusing the mediators of being “biased” in their efforts to end the war, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023, when a power struggle between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted into open fighting in Khartoum and other regions.

The war has killed more than 40,000 people, according to U.N. figures, though aid groups warn the true toll may be far higher. More than 14 million people have been displaced, with disease outbreaks and famine affecting parts of the country.

The ceasefire proposal, put forward by the “Quad” — the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates — calls for a three-month humanitarian truce followed by a nine-month political process. RSF leaders have reportedly agreed to the truce following global condemnation of atrocities in the Darfur city of el-Fasher.

Burhan, however, said the proposal “is considered the worst document yet,” because it “eliminates the Armed Forces, dissolves security agencies and keeps the militia where they are.”

“If the mediation continues in this direction, we will consider it to be a biased mediation,” he added.

He also criticised U.S. adviser Massad Boulos, saying he feared the envoy “will be an obstacle to the peace that all the people of Sudan seek,” and took aim at the UAE, claiming the Gulf state was “not innocent of responsibility, especially since the entire world has witnessed the UAE’s support for the rebels against the Sudanese State.”

Burhan rejected allegations that the military is controlled by Islamists or has used chemical weapons against the RSF. He said the army will only agree to a truce once the RSF fully withdraws from civilian areas to allow displaced people to return home, before any political talks begin.

“We’re not warmongers, and we don’t reject peace,” he said, “but no one can threaten us or dictate terms to us.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev