In a pivotal address to the United Nations Security Council, Sudan's Prime Minister Kamil Idris laid out a detailed roadmap for peace aimed at ending a brutal civil war that has raged for nearly 1,000 days. The proposal, however, was immediately juxtaposed with a urgent call from the United States for warring factions to accept an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.
A "Homemade" Peace Plan for Sudan
Addressing the council on Monday, Prime Minister Kamil Idris, who leads Sudan's transitional civilian government, presented a wide-ranging initiative. The plan demands a ceasefire monitored by the UN, African Union, and Arab League. Crucially, it calls for the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to withdraw from all occupied areas, relocate to supervised camps, and undergo disarmament.
Idris was keen to stress the plan's origins, emphasising it was "homemade -- not imposed on us." This was seen as an indirect reference to a separate truce proposal backed by the US and key mediators Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates—a group known as the Quad. The Sudanese leader argued that without confining paramilitary forces to camps, any truce had "no chance for success."
International Response and Deep-Rooted Conflict
The US response, delivered by deputy ambassador Jeffrey Bartos just before Idris spoke, urged a different immediate priority. The Trump administration has offered a humanitarian truce and called on both belligerents to accept this plan "without preconditions immediately." Bartos strongly condemned the horrific violence and atrocities committed by both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF.
UAE Ambassador Mohamed Abushahab, representing the Quad, warned that "unilateral efforts by either of the warring parties are not sustainable and will only prolong the war." He advocated for a humanitarian truce to be followed by a permanent ceasefire and a pathway to civilian rule independent of the military factions.
The conflict, which erupted in April 2023 from a power struggle between the army and the RSF, has plunged Sudan into chaos. It has been characterised by widespread mass killings, rapes, and ethnically motivated violence, acts the UN and rights groups say amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Escalating Concerns and a Path Forward
UN Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari echoed the Security Council's growing alarm, highlighting how the war is being fuelled by a continuing supply of increasingly sophisticated weapons. He criticised unnamed countries for refusing to stop arms shipments and both sides for their unwillingness to compromise. "While they were able to stop fighting to preserve oil revenues, they have so far failed to do the same to protect their population," Khiari stated.
The devastating human cost is staggering. UN figures report over 40,000 killed, though aid agencies believe the true toll is far higher. The war has created the world's largest humanitarian crisis, displacing over 14 million people, with spreading famine and disease outbreaks.
In his closing challenge to the Security Council, Prime Minister Idris appealed for international backing: "This initiative can mark the moment when Sudan steps back from the edge and the international community — You! You! — stood on the right side of history." The diplomatic stage is now set for a critical test of wills between a comprehensive peace process and the pressing need for immediate humanitarian relief.
