There is “no future” for either of Sudan’s two warring generals in the country’s political leadership, a senior adviser to US President Donald Trump said in Dubai on Tuesday, throwing Washington’s support behind a rapid transition to civilian rule.
At the Arab Media Summit, Massad Boulos, Mr Trump’s senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs, said the US backed a political process that excludes army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and Rapid Support Forces commander Gen Mohamed Dagalo.
“There is no future for any of the two leaders in the country,” Mr Boulos said. “We see a future in the civilian transition. It needs to happen quickly and seamlessly, away from the two warring generals. We support this track only.”
Mr Boulos added that Mr Trump had been “very clear” on Sudan and that addressing the humanitarian crisis remained a US priority.
He said Washington remained committed to the road map it has developed with its allies to end the conflict, despite acknowledging the initiative had failed to produce results after a year. “We all bear the responsibility that it has not borne fruit yet,” Mr Boulos said. “If we want real results on the ground for the benefit of the Sudanese, our road map needs to be put into effect.”
Both warring generals have been accused of war crimes and are subjected to sanctions by the US and other countries.
Earlier this month, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by Gen Al Burhan, faced new evidence over its alleged use of chemical weapons. Reports published by The New York Times and Washington Post revealed the SAF had not only used chemical weapons in the devastating war but also built a secret stockpile that it has since sought to conceal.
A dossier provided details of how the SAF tested bombs in Sudan’s desert and built up its chemical weapons operation piece by piece before attempting to cover its tracks.
The issue of chemical weapons emerged alongside a US push for a ceasefire in Sudan, including efforts to expand the UN arms embargo beyond Darfur to cover the entire country.
A UN fact-finding report revealed this month that the SAF had used foreign-supplied drones in operations that harmed civilians. While it repeated that external players had supported the RSF by enabling arms transfers, the report cast a harsher light on the SAF's actions.
On Friday, the UN Security Council gave members one month to discuss the proposal. Washington pushed for the short-term extension to allow further negotiations to widen the embargo, rather than simply renewing the existing sanctions regime for another year.
The war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced millions and created one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, with an estimated 20 million people suffering from hunger. Yet Gen Al Burhan has vowed to continue fighting until the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces is defeated, rejecting repeated attempts by the US and regional powers to broker a ceasefire.
