The United States has stepped directly into the Sudan conflict with what appeared to be its clearest message since the war erupted, after Massad Bulos, senior adviser to the US president for Arab and African affairs, told the Security Council that all proposals for a humanitarian truce had been rejected by Sudanese army commander Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan. Observers described the statement as a marked shift in American rhetoric, as Washington named for the first time the party it holds responsible for blocking ceasefire efforts. The senior presidential adviser accused Al-Burhan of rejecting all proposals aimed at reaching a humanitarian truce and of sending contradictory messages on each occasion.
Bulos's remarks prompted political reactions inside Sudan, most notably from Khaled Omar Youssef, deputy chairman of the Sudanese Congress Party and a senior figure in the Sumoud alliance, who said what the American official announced was "not surprising". He argued that the continuation of the war serves what he described as the Muslim Brotherhood's project to dominate and return to power, and that the absence of political will to stop the fighting had become evident to international mediators.
Youssef added that the United States, in its capacity as the principal mediator on the humanitarian truce file, was the party that drafted the agreement, noting that what he described as "stalling" and the sending of contradictory signals regarding acceptance of the truce had compelled Washington to declare its position publicly before the Security Council.
The Sumoud alliance leader expressed the view that the majority of Sudanese people aspire to end the war and restore their normal lives. He called for broadening popular pressure on the parties he said were benefiting from the continuation of the conflict, arguing that exposing those obstructing peace efforts was a necessary step toward ending the war.
In the same context, the humanitarian aid committee of the Sumoud alliance welcomed the United Nations' call for a humanitarian truce, describing it as an urgent step to alleviate the suffering of millions of civilians and to enable unimpeded humanitarian aid access for those affected.
The committee called on the warring parties to respond immediately to the truce and to abide by the rules of international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians, securing health facilities, opening humanitarian corridors, and guaranteeing the safety of humanitarian workers.
The committee stressed that the success of any humanitarian truce remained contingent on the launch of a serious political process leading to a permanent ceasefire and an end to the war, and called on the regional and international communities to redouble efforts in support of both the humanitarian and political tracks simultaneously.
In a related development, Massad Bulos announced that the United States had imposed new sanctions on 8 individuals and entities it said were involved in perpetuating acts of violence through support for both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, in addition to further sanctions on the Sudanese government over its use of chemical weapons.
In a post published following the sanctions announcement, Bulos said external military support for the war "must stop", affirming that the Sudanese people deserve peace and that the warring parties must accept the humanitarian truce and allow humanitarian aid access without restrictions. He emphasised that the United States would continue to support an inclusive, civilian-led political dialogue as the path toward a permanent end to the war.