Sudanese Armed Forces commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan rejected the Quad's latest ceasefire proposal, favoring a revival of the 2023 Jeddah Agreement as the basis for talks. He demands the Rapid Support Forces withdraw from areas occupied after May 2023. This stance emerges amid international mediation efforts and ongoing military escalations.
In a speech to senior commanders in Khartoum on November 23, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan described the Quad proposal, led by US Senior Advisor Massad Boulos, as the 'worst' of three drafts. He stated it 'does not recognize the armed forces, nor reflect the government’s response,' and calls for dissolving security agencies while keeping the Rapid Support Forces in place. Burhan accused Boulos of speaking on behalf of the RSF and the UAE, insisting the RSF would not be part of future arrangements and that the military is determined to retake seized areas.
Burhan reaffirmed the government roadmap anchored in the May 2023 Jeddah Agreement, requiring RSF disarmament, withdrawal from post-talks occupied areas, and reporting to designated military camps. The address followed days after US President Donald Trump stated Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman asked him to intervene, prompted by a lengthy call from Burhan via a Transitional Sovereignty Council source.
An Egyptian official said invoking the Jeddah Agreement reflects a political stance from the military establishment seeking to eliminate the RSF. At a joint press conference, Boulos called the military preconditions 'impossible' given ground realities. RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan 'Hemedti' Dagalo announced a three-month humanitarian ceasefire, but his forces launched a major assault on Babanusa hours later.
Despite Sudan's de facto division, Egyptian and Sudanese sources view this approach as giving Burhan leeway to appease hardliners in his coalition, while acknowledging Saudi Arabia may lead talks outside the Quad framework.