Sudan pushes fresh plan to end war
Sudanese Prime Minister Kamil Idris on Monday presented a new peace initiative to the UN Security Council to end the country’s civil war. The brutal conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has been raging since April 2023.
The proposal was unveiled during an open Security Council session convened at the request of Sudan’s civilian government.
Idris said the plan envisages a phased process, beginning with an internationally monitored ceasefire. This would be followed by the withdrawal of RSF fighters from urban areas to designated camps under the supervision of the UN, the African Union, and the Arab League.
“The Sudanese civilian government’s initiative to end the conflict begins with a ceasefire, disarmament, non-selective justice, and non-formal reconciliation,” the Sudanese official stated.
He added the plan also involves the disarmament of the RSF, alongside transitional justice measures including war crimes prosecutions, a review of conflict-related legal cases, and the possible integration of some RSF members into national security forces. Humanitarian access would be restored, and displaced civilians would be allowed to return to their homes.
The proposal builds on a roadmap submitted to the UN in March 2025, which similarly called for a ceasefire, the withdrawal of RSF forces from cities and a three-month window for humanitarian access, and the return of displaced civilians.
Sudan descended into chaos in April 2023 when fighting erupted between the national army (Sudanese Armed Forces, SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This occurred after months of tension between their commanders, army generals Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo ‘Hemedti’, respectively, over a planned transition to civilian rule. What began in the capital, Khartoum, as a power struggle has devastated the country, killing tens of thousands and displacing millions.
Regional and international peace efforts, including African Union mediation and Saudi–US talks in Jeddah, have repeatedly stalled. Sudanese officials have named Colombians and Ukrainians among mercenaries backing the RSF against the army. Officials have also accused Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates of involvement and recently claimed the European Union has an “incomplete understanding of the complex situation” in the country.
Khartoum has also accused authorities in neighboring Kenya of backing the RSF and has broken ties with the East African grouping IGAD amid mistrust of regional mediation. In July, TASIS, a political coalition aligned with the paramilitary, announced the formation of a rival government months after its members signed a charter in Nairobi. It named Gen. Dagalo as chairman of a 15-member presidential council, a move rejected by the UN and AU.
In September, the ‘Quartet’ of the US, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt unveiled a proposal outlining a three-month humanitarian pause in Sudan, followed by a ceasefire, and a nine-month transition toward civilian rule. However, Sudan’s army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, last month rejected the US-backed proposal, calling it the “worst” initiative so far.
On December 11, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Moscow is ready to help facilitate political dialogue in Sudan if requested by the country’s authorities. He stressed that the focus should be on finding a solution to the crisis and reiterated that Russia “is ready to facilitate” peace efforts, noting that Moscow “has such capabilities.”
