International governments have called on warring Sudanese militias to negotiate a ceasefire this week, with neither side accepting a proposal led by the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) rejected the plan, partly due to the UAE’s involvement, having previously accused the country of “complicity in genocide”.
The RSF had earlier signalled it would accept the U.S/UAE plan, and said this week it would implement a ceasefire.
However, the U.S. has since said the RSF didn’t formally accept their proposal.
Background
Sudan was ruled for decades by dictator Omar al-Bashir, who faces charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. The SAF removed al-Bashir with RSF support in 2019.
Democratic elections were supposed to follow, but the SAF and RSF worked together again to overthrow the remainder of the existing government and took power in 2021.
In April 2023, the partnership fell apart, resulting in the ongoing violent conflict between the two groups.
Violence
Since 2023, the violence between RSF and SAF has been ongoing and has caused a humanitarian crisis in Sudan.
The UN has not provided a death toll for this conflict, though estimates put the toll as high as 150,000.
According to the World Food Programme, almost half of the country’s population – 21.2 million people – is experiencing acute food insecurity. Famine has been declared in two cities.
In July 2025, the Migration Policy Institute found the violence had forced at least 12 million people from their homes.
Genocide
Sudanese and international groups have accused the RSF of genocide and ethnic cleansing.
Genocide is defined under international law as killing members of a “national, ethnic, racial, or religious group,” or making their survival impossible.
Ethnic cleansing has been described by UN experts as removing members of an ethnic or religious group from an area “by violent or terror-inspiring means”.
This year, International Criminal Court Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameen Khan said her team is actively gathering evidence of war crimes in Sudan.
In comments to the UN Security Council in July, Khan said the humanitarian situation in Sudan had reached an “intolerable state”.
She added: “Hospitals, humanitarian convoys, and other civilian objects are apparently being targeted. Famine is escalating, and humanitarian aid is not reaching those in dire need of it. People are being deprived of water and food. Rape and sexual violence are being weaponised.”
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Plan
In September, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the U.S. and the UAE proposed a ceasefire plan for Sudan.
While the exact details have not been released, the group released a statement outlining some of their ideas, including a three month truce to allow “the swift entry of humanitarian aid,” followed by a permanent ceasefire.
The statement said Sudan’s future government “is for the Sudanese people to decide... not controlled by any warring party”.
The SAF currently runs Sudan’s government, while the RSF seeks to form a new one.
Their statement also said: “Sudan’s future cannot be dictated by violent extremist groups part of or evidently linked to the Muslim brotherhood”.
The Muslim Brotherhood is an Islamist organisation with links to the SAF. Egypt, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia all list it as a terrorist organisation.
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to designate “certain chapters” of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organisations this week.
Response
Earlier this month, the RSF signalled willingness to accept the ceasefire proposal, and this week said it was implementing a three month truce.
However, the RSF has continued to bomb and carry out attacks on SAF-held territory and infrastructure.
The SAF has rejected the RSF’s ‘truce’ and the proposal, calling it the “worst [plan] yet”. The SAF said the plan would “eliminate” them and keep the RSF “in its positions”.
The SAF also criticised the UAE’s involvement, repeating allegations it is supplying weapons to the RSF. The UAE has denied these allegations.
International observers have documented the movement of weapons on planes from the UAE to an airport in Chad near its border with Sudan, to the RSF.
In March, Sudan sued the UAE in the International Court of Justice (the ‘World Court’), alleging it provided “unlimited support” to the RSF, enabling the group to perpetrate “genocide, forcible displacement, and murder.”
The ICJ threw out Sudan’s case in May, saying that while it was “deeply concerned” by the conflict, it did not have the power to hear the case.
The UAE and Sudan have both signed the UN’s Genocide Convention, which obliges countries to prevent it and to punish those who carry it out.
One section of the convention states that countries can take disputes, “including those relating to the responsibility of a [country] for genocide,” to the ICJ.
The UAE is not party to this specific section, which meant the ICJ couldn’t hear a case where it was a defendant.
