KHARTOUM — A senior official in Sudan's Transitional Sovereignty Council has ruled out negotiations with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, complicating international efforts to broker an end to the country's civil war that began in 2023.
Mediators and analysts say ending hostilities requires direct engagement between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF. The army has resisted direct talks with RSF leaders, a factor that has hampered previous peace negotiations.
The conflict has devastated Sudan. Up to 150,000 people have been killed, and a quarter of Sudan's 50 million population has been displaced. Men are frequently targeted for killing, torture, disappearance, arbitrary detention and forced recruitment by armed groups in areas of active fighting or contested control.
Previous U.S.-led negotiations resulted in a joint road map that called for a three-month humanitarian truce followed by a permanent cease-fire and a political process to establish a civilian-led government. The warring parties hold vastly different positions on how the conflict should end and what Sudan's future governance should entail.
External involvement complicates the path to peace. Directly dealing with the SAF could imply the United Arab Emirates treats the army as a sovereign equal, potentially acknowledging its support for the RSF. Brokering agreement among outside countries has proved difficult.
