Sudan says ready to engage in 'sincere initiatives' to end war

Sudanese Foreign Minister Mohi al-Din Salem said Friday the government is ready to engage in "sincere initiatives" aimed at ending the war that has continued since April 2023.

"The government is open and ready to engage in sincere initiatives aimed at ending this proxy war," Salem said during a UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva on the situation in El Obeid, North Kordofan state.

He said such initiatives must align with the roadmap submitted by Sovereign Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan to the UN on March 10, 2025, and the initiative presented by Prime Minister Kamil Idris to the UN Security Council on Sept. 22, 2025.

Salem said Sudan's roadmap calls for dismantling the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), disarming its fighters, implementing security arrangements, declaring a ceasefire and launching a nationally led political process, while welcoming international support.

He also renewed Sudan's call to designate the RSF as a "terrorist group," urging countries backing the militia to stop supplying it with advanced weapons and drones targeting civilian areas.

For about two weeks, El Obeid has come under drone attacks by the RSF targeting the main power station, fuel facilities and other civilian sites, killing and injuring dozens of people.

The UN, regional and international organizations, and countries including the US have warned of possible atrocities amid reports of RSF military buildups around El Obeid.

On May 12, the UN warned of escalating drone attacks in the Kordofan region, saying the strikes killed at least 880 civilians between January and April 2026.

Sudan's North, West and South Kordofan states have witnessed fierce fighting between the army and the RSF since Oct. 25.

Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the army and the RSF over plans to integrate the paramilitary force into the military.

The war has triggered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, killing tens of thousands of people and displacing nearly 13 million.