Washington: The United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt have jointly proposed a roadmap aimed at establishing peace in Sudan, a nation plagued by ongoing conflict. The proposal seeks to initiate a three-month humanitarian truce, leading to a permanent ceasefire, and a transition towards civilian-led governance.

According to Deutsche Welle, the foreign ministers from these four nations issued a statement emphasizing the need for a nine-month transitional process to establish civilian rule in Sudan. The conflict, which has devastated the northeast African country, has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, displaced millions, and created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, as described by the United Nations.

The plan was initially set to be discussed in July during a meeting in Washington, but was postponed due to disagreements between Egypt and the UAE. The joint statement by the four countries emphasizes that the future governance of Sudan should be determined by the Sudanese people through an inclusive and transparent transition process, free from control by any warring party.

Responses from the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to the statement have yet to be made public. While Egypt, an ally of Sudan's regular army, has called for the protection of state institutions, the UAE has faced accusations from the army of supporting the RSF, a claim the Gulf state denies.

The international statement supports Sudan's unity, although the willingness of the warring parties to engage remains unclear. Currently, the army controls Sudan's east, north, and center, while the RSF holds most of the Darfur region and has declared a parallel government, raising concerns about a de-facto partition.

In a related development, the US Treasury Department announced sanctions against Sudanese Finance Minister Jibril Ibrahim and the Baraa Ibn-Malik Brigade, an Islamist militia allied with the army. These sanctions are intended to limit Islamist influence in Sudan and address regional destabilization and conflict fueled by Iran's activities.

The joint statement concludes with a rejection of any role for violent extremist groups linked to the Muslim Brotherhood in the transition process, pointing to the influence of Islamists who controlled Sudan for three decades until 2019 and have resurged during the conflict in support of the army.