Sudan’s Prime Minister Kamil Idris on Monday presented a comprehensive peace initiative to the UN Security Council aimed at ending the nearly 1,000-day war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), while the United States urged both sides to immediately accept a humanitarian truce.
Idris, head of Sudan’s transitional civilian government, said his plan calls for a UN-, African Union- and Arab League-monitored ceasefire, the withdrawal of RSF troops from all occupied areas, their placement in supervised camps, and full disarmament.
Sudan descended into chaos in April 2023 after a power struggle between the military and the RSF erupted into widespread fighting, including mass killings, rapes, and ethnically motivated violence, which the UN and international rights groups classify as war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Observers said the RSF is unlikely to accept Idris’s plan, which would effectively strip the paramilitary force of its power. Idris emphasized that his proposal is “homemade — not imposed” and called on the 15-member Security Council to back it. “This initiative can mark the moment when Sudan steps back from the edge,” he said, urging the council to act as a “partner in recovery.”
US Deputy Ambassador Jeffrey Bartos, speaking before Idris, reiterated the Trump administration’s call for an immediate humanitarian truce and urged both parties to accept it without preconditions. Bartos condemned atrocities committed by both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, saying the perpetrators must be held accountable.
UAE Ambassador Mohamed Abushahab, part of the US-backed Quad mediators, stressed that unilateral efforts by either side are unsustainable and warned that a humanitarian truce must be followed by a permanent ceasefire and a path toward civilian rule.
UN Assistant Secretary-General for political affairs Khaled Khiari highlighted growing council concerns, condemning countries that continue supplying weapons to the warring parties and urging both sides to de-escalate. “The backers of both sides must use their influence to help stop the slaughter, not to cause further devastation,” he said.
The war in Sudan has killed over 40,000 people, according to UN estimates, and has created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, displacing more than 14 million people while spreading famine and disease.