Burhan Calls for Sudanese-Led Peace Process as War Enters Fourth Year

 

Sudanhorizon- New York
Sudan’s war must be brought to a permanent end through a process led by Sudanese themselves, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, president of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council, has argued, while calling for an end to foreign interference that he says has prolonged the conflict.

In an article published by Foreign Policy on 21 September, Burhan said Sudanese civilians wanted the war to end permanently and warned that international efforts should not result in a temporary cessation of fighting followed by renewed violence once international attention shifts elsewhere.

The conflict, which began in April 2023 after a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has displaced more than 14 million people. Recent estimates cited by Burhan put the death toll at at least 59,000, while famine and widespread sexual violence have compounded the humanitarian emergency. The United Nations has described the conflict as one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.

Burhan rejects characterisation of conflict as a conventional civil war

Burhan rejected descriptions of the conflict as a war between two equal factions, arguing that the Sudanese state and the RSF should not be treated as equivalent parties under international law or in political negotiations.

He accused the RSF of responsibility for killings, looting and atrocities against civilians, and argued that the paramilitary group should not be granted political legitimacy or treated as an equal partner in determining Sudan’s future.

The RSF has repeatedly rejected allegations of systematic atrocities and has accused its opponents of violations during the conflict. The United Nations, meanwhile, has documented serious violations by both sides and has called for accountability for perpetrators.

The conflict has also generated extensive international concern over alleged ethnic violence in Darfur. In February 2026, a UN fact-finding mission concluded that the RSF had committed genocide against non-Arab ethnic communities during its campaign to capture El Fasher, citing evidence of specific intent and systematic attacks. Yale researchers contributed satellite-imagery analysis to the investigation.

El Fasher atrocities deepen international concern

El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, became the focus of international warnings during an extended RSF siege before the city fell to the paramilitary group in October 2025.

Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab subsequently identified more than 150 clusters of objects consistent with human remains and documented patterns of mass killings and the disposal of bodies. The researchers also identified evidence of attacks on civilians and mass killings following the capture of the city.

A separate Yale and NASA Harvest analysis published in March 2026 found that RSF attacks had deliberately destroyed agricultural communities around El Fasher during 2024, disrupting food production and contributing to the siege conditions.

These findings have added to international calls for investigations and accountability over alleged war crimes and other grave violations.

Foreign support increasingly shapes the conflict

Burhan also placed foreign involvement at the centre of his argument, saying that outside intervention had contributed to prolonging and intensifying the war.

Recent UN investigations have documented extensive foreign involvement in the conflict. A UN fact-finding mission reported in September 2026 that transnational networks had recruited, trained and deployed foreign personnel in support of the RSF, while facilitating the movement of weapons, ammunition, military technology and logistical support. The same investigation also found reasonable grounds to believe that the Sudanese Armed Forces had used foreign-supplied drones in operations that harmed civilians and civilian infrastructure.

The findings have highlighted the increasingly internationalised character of the conflict, with external weapons, personnel and technology allowing both sides to conduct operations at greater range and intensity.

The United States has also taken action against networks accused of helping sustain the war. In June 2026, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on eight individuals and entities linked to procurement and recruitment networks supporting the warring parties.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has separately called for accountability for countries supplying weapons to Sudan’s warring parties, arguing that foreign military assistance has contributed to the escalation of the conflict and civilian suffering.

Calls for a durable political settlement

Burhan said the experience of repeated ceasefire initiatives demonstrated the limitations of arrangements that temporarily halt fighting without resolving the underlying political and security issues.

His position is that a lasting settlement must prevent the return of armed confrontation once international attention moves elsewhere and must address the question of Sudan’s political future.

The challenge for international mediators is complicated by the continued fighting, the humanitarian emergency and disagreements over the role of the military and the RSF in any eventual political settlement.

The United Nations and other international actors have continued to call for an end to hostilities, expanded humanitarian access and a negotiated political solution.

For Sudanese civilians, however, the immediate priorities remain closely linked: ending the fighting, protecting civilians, ensuring humanitarian access and creating conditions for displaced people and refugees to return.

The scale of the crisis has also intensified calls for external actors to stop supplying weapons and other military support to the parties to the conflict.

As Sudan enters another year of war, the central diplomatic question is increasingly not simply how to negotiate another temporary ceasefire, but how to establish a political settlement capable of preventing a return to large-scale violence.

Burhan’s argument is that such a settlement must ultimately be Sudanese-led and Sudanese-owned, with international actors supporting the process rather than determining the country’s political future.

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