Sudan’s top general has rejected a US-led ceasefire proposal as "the worst yet", saying it would undermine the country's military and bolster the rival Rapid Support Force militia.
Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan said in a video on Sunday that the proposal was unacceptable, accusing the mediators of being "biased" in their efforts to end the war.
Sudan plunged into civil war in April 2023 following a power struggle between the military and the UAE-backed Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, exploding into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere in the country.
The devastating war has killed more than 40,000 people, according to UN figures, but aid groups say that is an undercount and the true number could be many times higher.
It created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis with over 14 million people forced to flee their homes, fueled disease outbreaks and pushed parts of the country into famine.
Known as the Quad, the mediators have been trying for over two years to bring an end to the fighting and reestablish a path to democratic transition, which was hampered by a military coup in 2021. They are comprised of the US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE - the latter two backing rival sides in the civil war.
This month, President Donald Trump said that he plans to put greater attention on helping find an end to Sudan's war after being urged to take action by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his visit to the White House, with Riyadh seen to support the Sudanese government and military.
Massad Boulos, a US adviser for African affairs, told news agency The Associated Press earlier that the latest proposal calls for a three-month humanitarian truce followed by a nine-month political process.
The RSF said it has agreed to the truce, following global outrage over the paramilitaries’ atrocities in the Darfur city of el-Fasher.
Burhan, however, said the proposal "is considered the worst document yet", since it "eliminates the Armed Forces, dissolves security agencies and keeps the militia where they are" - referring to the RSF.
"If the mediation continues in this direction, we will consider it to be biased mediation," he said.
He lashed out at the US adviser and accused him of attempting to "impose some conditions on us".
He added: "We fear that Massad Boulos will be an obstacle to the peace that all the people of Sudan seek."
In his comments, Burhan took aim at the UAE. He said that since the Quad includes the Gulf country as a member, the mediation group was "not innocent of responsibility, especially since the entire world has witnessed the UAE’s support for the rebels against the Sudanese State".
The UAE is widely accused by rights groups of arming the paramilitaries, which are accused of mass crimes against civilians in Sudan, although Abu Dhabi denies this.
The AP reported earlier this month that US intelligence assessments for many months have found that the UAE, a close US ally, has been sending weapons to the RSF, according to a U.S. official familiar with the classified reports who spoke on condition of anonymity to share details.
In its latest response, the UAE lambasted Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan Monday for rejecting a US truce proposal.
"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.
During the same meeting, Burhan dismissed US accusations of alleged "Muslim Brotherhood influence within the army", asserting that the military is fully capable of undertaking its own reforms and restructuring without outside involvement.
He said the narrative advanced by Boulos regarding supposed "Muslim Brotherhood control" within the armed forces is a "scare tactic" aimed at influencing Americans, Saudis, and Egyptians, emphasising that it is "untrue and a lie".
Burhan said the military will only agree to a truce when the RSF completely withdraws from civilian areas to allow the return of displaced people to their homes, before embarking on talks for a political settlement to the conflict.
"We’re not warmongers, and we don’t reject peace," he said, "but no one can threaten us or dictate terms to us".
Editor's note: This article was updated to include comments issued by the United Arab Emirates on 24 November 2025 at 17:15.