Sudan's army-aligned government pushed back on Saturday against a new peace proposal put forward by four influential foreign powers, rejecting any suggestion that it be excluded from the country's post-war political transition.
On Friday, the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt jointly called for a humanitarian truce in Sudan's more than two-year war, followed by a permanent ceasefire and a transition toward civilian rule -- but suggested that no warring party should be part of that transition.
Responding in a statement from the foreign ministry, Khartoum said it welcomed efforts to end the war, but would not accept "interventions that do not respect the sovereignty of the Sudanese state and its legitimate institutions, which are supported by the Sudanese people, and its right to defend its people and its land".
Sudan's institutions are currently under the control of the army, which has been at war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023. In May, the army formed a new civilian-led government "to complete the tasks of transition" and "cleanse all of Sudan" of the RSF. In its statement, the foreign ministry said "the Sudanese people alone have the right to determine how they are governed through national consensus", as led by the transitional government.
The plan put forward by the four foreign powers, often referred to as the quartet, had proposed a three-month humanitarian truce, followed by a permanent ceasefire and a nine-month transition toward a civilian-led government. "Sudan's future governance is for the Sudanese people to decide through an inclusive and transparent transition process, not controlled by any warring party," Friday's statement read.
In its response, Sudan rejected "any attempt to equate it with a racist terrorist militia that recruits foreign mercenaries from across the world to destroy and erase the Sudanese identity" -- a clear reference to the RSF, which has been accused of receiving support from foreign fighters funded by the UAE. The UAE denies the allegations. The ministry added that its "engagement with any party concerning Sudanese affairs depends clearly and explicitly on the respect for its national sovereignty". The conflict in Sudan has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions and created what the United Nations has called one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Despite repeated international efforts to broker a ceasefire, both sides have shown little willingness to compromise.
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