Could a US and Saudi-backed proposal lead to peace in Sudan?

The United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates only released a joint peace initiative for Sudan on Friday, but its viability is already uncertain.

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighting has left approximately 40, 000 people dead, according to the UN, but the death toll could be much higher. In Khartoum state alone, according to a research group from last November, 60, 000 people died as a result of the war, either directly from starvation or indirectly from starvation and disease.

According to UN data, almost 13 million people have been displaced in Sudan. And about half of those who remain are suffering from acute food insecurity, with some regions experiencing famine that has been predicted by government agencies to spread.

There have already been numerous failed attempts to put an end to the fighting. The most recent plan might have something different.

What exactly is in the most recent peace proposal?

The so-called “Quad” countries, which include the US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE, have proposed a three-month humanitarian truce in the conflict, followed by a permanent ceasefire, and a nine-month transitional period during which a broad-based civilian-led government would assume power.

The statement read, “The status quo causes unacceptable suffering and risks to peace and security, and there is no viable military solution to the conflict.”

The Muslim Brotherhood is also at the center of the proposal, which states that Sudan’s future cannot be “dictated by violent extremist groups belonging to or allegedly linked to the Muslim Brotherhood.”

Some SAF members’ groups are viewed as having a loose relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood, whose members reject claims that they are violent or extremist. The Muslim Brotherhood is regarded as a “terrorist” group by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE.

What has the conflict between Sudan’s two countries been like?

A parallel government supported by the RSF has welcomed elements of the Quad’s peace plan, despite the RSF having yet to formally respond to it.

The army-established Khartoum’s government has criticized it, though.

The government said in a statement from its foreign ministry that it would not support “interventions that violate 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,” despite its welcome efforts to end the conflict.

Have previous attempts been made to put an end to the fighting?

Yes, but they have all failed. Nearly the entire conflict has been discussed in conversation. The ceasefires that were reached have been opulent, despite widespread mistrust and widespread accusations of violations.

A number of brief ceasefires and truces followed, all of which failed to hold up until almost the time the fighting started in April of that year.

Saudi Arabia and the US made one of the first significant efforts to put a stop to the fighting when they attempted to reach a ceasefire through the Jeddah Platform, which ran from May 20 to June 2023. Despite some gains, negotiations broke down as a result of conflicting information regarding access to humanitarian aid and allegations of reciprocal violations.

In a later year, the group of East African States known as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) announced that neither party had consented to a ceasefire pending direct negotiations, allowing either party to reject or contest the claim.

Saudi Arabia made another attempt in August 2024 through negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland. Negotiations should lead to a nationwide ceasefire, the intention was to. The SAF, however, criticized the UAE’s use of observers and claimed that it supported the RSF, and the negotiations stalled.

The UAE has refuted claims that it funds and finances the RSF, stating that its involvement in Sudan is solely for humanitarian purposes.

What is in question?

Sudan, one of Africa’s largest nations, had a 50 million population before the SAF and RSF’s conflict.

The UN notes that there are daily instances of “executions, torture, and rape” occurring in many communities where the spread of diseases, such as cholera, is already being spread through a depressed infrastructure, in addition to the tens of thousands of killed and millions of people who have been left.

The UN has identified the RSF as a “crime against humanity” that includes “large-scale killings, sexual and gender-based violence, looting, and the destruction of livelihoods – occasionally leading to persecution and extermination” despite the accusations of both sides.

A total of 24.6 million people, or roughly half of the population, are suffering from acute food insecurity, according to the World Food Programme, while 637, 000 others are suffering from starvation.

Source: Aljazeera