UAE slams Sudan army chief's 'obstructive' truce rejection

DUBAI - The UAE lambasted Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan Monday for rejecting a US truce proposal, after he accused Washington of echoing Emirati positions on the more than two-year conflict.

"Once more, General Burhan refuses peace overtures," Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, the United Arab Emirates minister of state for international cooperation, said in a statement.

"In his rejection of the US Peace Plan for Sudan, and his repeated refusal to accept a ceasefire, he demonstrates consistently obstructive behaviour. This must be called out," the minister added.

The UAE has been widely accused of arming the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who have been at war with Sudan's regular army since April 2023. The UAE has repeatedly denied the accusations.

On Sunday, Burhan said the latest truce proposal delivered by US envoy Massad Boulos on behalf of the United States, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt - the group known as the Quad - was the "worst yet" and unacceptable to his government.

In a video address, he accused the Quad f being "biased" as long as Abu Dhabi remained a member.

Burhan claimed that the latest Quad proposal "eliminates the armed forces, dissolves security agencies and keeps the militia where they are".

On 6 November, the RSF announced they had agreed to a proposal for a humanitarian truce put forward by the Quad mediators.

The army-aligned government had rejected an earlier plan in September that excludes both the military and the RSF from Sudan's post-war political process.

That proposal included a three-month humanitarian truce, followed by a permanent ceasefire and a nine-month transition to civilian rule.

On Sunday, Burhan accused Boulos of "threatening" Sudan's leadership and trying to impose terms, warning that the envoy could become "an obstacle to the peace all Sudanese want".

Reiterating that the conflict was "a war for survival", he insisted that any peace agreement must compel the RSF to withdraw fully from captured territory and be confined to designated zones.

Burhan also dismissedclaims that the Muslim Brotherhood group controls the army, saying that "this is a narrative we are all surprised by".

He urged citizens willing to defend the country to "join the various front lines immediately", saying the army imposes "no restrictions" on volunteers.

Last week, US President Donald Trump said he would move to end the war, after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman urged him to get involved.

Burhan thanked the two leaders for what he called their "honest" initiative, but urged mediators to "come with a positive and proper approach".

Mediation has so far failed to halt the fighting between Burhan's forces and the RSF, led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, with both sides seeking a military breakthrough.