Sudan's Security and Defense Council met on Tuesday in Khartoum to discuss the US-led humanitarian ceasefire proposal presented in Cairo on Monday. Some members expressed no confidence in the Rapid Support Forces, while others showed willingness to agree under military terms. This comes amid escalation in Kordofan following the Rapid Support Forces' capture of Fasher.
Sudan's Security and Defense Council convened on Tuesday in Khartoum under the chairmanship of military Commander-in-Chief and Transitional Sovereignty Council Chair Abdel Fattah al-Burhan to discuss the military terms and proposed amendments to the US-led humanitarian ceasefire plan presented to the Sudanese delegation in Cairo on Monday. The US-led proposal begins with a three-month ceasefire, during which negotiations would be held to reach a comprehensive end to the war and launch a political dialogue between the Transitional Sovereignty Council, the Rapid Support Forces, and representatives of all Sudanese forces with the aim of forming a joint executive authority to resume the political process during a three-year transition, two Egyptian government sources told Mada Masr.
According to a Transitional Sovereignty Council source in Port Sudan, the council discussed the conditions for implementing the ceasefire from a military standpoint. It approved amendments concerning mechanisms for monitoring the ceasefire, its duration, and the guarantees required to ensure full compliance. Regarding international monitoring, the source said the council insisted that other countries such as Qatar and Turkey must be included, arguing that the current Quad—Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, and the US—alone could not provide adequate guarantees, citing its failure to pressure the Rapid Support Forces to allow humanitarian aid into Fasher during the city's siege.
The source said council members were divided over whether to agree to the ceasefire. Some members—including the Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Minni Arko Minnawi—took a position of "no confidence" toward the Rapid Support Forces, citing previous failed ceasefires and broken commitments. Others expressed willingness to enter into a ceasefire provided that its implementation remained governed by military terms. Internal deliberations within the council are expected to continue throughout the day to reach a final unified stance, according to the source.
Defense Minister Hassan Dawoud Kabron said in a press statement following the meeting that the council supports ongoing efforts to end the suffering of the Sudanese people, expressing the government's thanks to the US and to Senior Advisor for African and Arab Affairs Massad Boulos. Kabron then said the council called for "continued mobilization efforts to eliminate the rebel militia." The council meeting was attended by the council's full membership, including Prime Minister Kamel Idris and the military members of the Transitional Sovereignty Council—Shams Eddin Kabashi, Ibrahim Gaber, and Yasser al-Atta—as well as representatives of the Juba Peace Agreement signatory armed movements, led by Minnawi and Gibril Ibrahim. The heads of the General Intelligence Service and military intelligence were also present.
This meeting comes barely ten days after the fall of Fasher to the Rapid Support Forces, shifting the war's focus to Kordofan where escalation continues, with over 300 civilians killed in Bara and around 40,000 displaced.