President Donald Trump's senior Africa envoy, Massad Boulos, has rejected criticism that the US's latest proposal to end the Sudan civil war is biased.
The US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been attempting to mediate between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been fighting for more than two years.
On Sunday, Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said the latest ceasefire proposal was unacceptable and future ones would also be one-sided as long as the UAE was involved in the negotiations.
The Gulf state denies it is offering support to the RSF and on Tuesday Mr. Boulos said the bias Burhan spoke of was non-existent. He was making reference to something that does not exist, that has never been presented by us. So we have no idea what he is talking about, said Boulos during a media briefing with UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash.
In response to Burhan's comments, he noted, We are not advocates of war, nor do we reject peace, but no-one can threaten us or impose conditions on us, reiterating concerns that Boulos might hinder prospects for peace.
The 'Quad,' consisting of the US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE, previously proposed a humanitarian truce to the two sides in September, which the army rejected, citing foreign interference, particularly from the UAE.
Despite international calls for calm, fighting has persisted, with the RSF announcing a unilateral three-month ceasefire, allegedly as a response to pressure from the international community. As accusations of military support between the UAE and the RSF continue, the humanitarian situation in Sudan remains dire, with millions displaced and reports of atrocities rampant.
