Sudan Adviser Warns US Ceasefire Plan Risks Libya-Style Partition

A US ceasefire proposal for Sudan's civil war could push the country towards a Libya-style partition, according to Amjad Farid, an adviser to Sudan's army-led authorities.

Farid stated that US Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos seems to be putting pressure on them to accept a de facto partitioning of the country similar to Libyan model. Farid also expressed concern that Boulos's approach appears to accommodate the militia’s continued existence and preserve a place for it in Sudan’s political future, referring to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Farid made these remarks to Reuters from New York, where he attended the UN General Assembly. The US proposal outlines a 90-day ceasefire, followed by negotiations to end the war and resume the transition to civilian rule. Sudan's army has been engaged in conflict with the RSF since April 2023, stemming from disagreements over integrating their forces into a planned civilian government.

Army leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan's visa to attend the UN General Assembly was withheld a week prior because he had not yet accepted the US proposal. Farid indicated that the army-led government had submitted proposed changes to the deal, primarily an internationally monitored withdrawal of the RSF from urban areas, but the US appeared to disregard them.

A Sudanese delegation had planned to meet Boulos in Washington last week, but the meeting was canceled after Burhan's visa was withheld, according to two Sudanese diplomats. Sudan has called for international action against foreign parties supporting the RSF, with Foreign Minister Mohieldin Salim Ahmed Ibrahim accusing the UN Security Council of failing to identify and condemn the group’s sponsors. The US has stated that neither side represents legitimate governance.