US says no side in Sudan conflict represents a legitimate government

The United States has declared that neither the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) nor the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) constitute a legitimate government for Sudan, as the country's devastating civil war enters its third year. In a statement released during the UN General Assembly in New York, the State Department said both factions "exercise power only through force of arms" and that their leaders' conduct "disqualifies them from governing the country" Source: infobaeSource: clarin.

The US position

Washington reiterated its commitment to ending the conflict, which has killed tens of thousands and triggered the world's worst humanitarian and displacement crisis. The US called on both sides to accept an unconditional humanitarian truce and engage in inclusive political dialogue leading to a civilian transition. It warned it would "increase the cost of the conflict for all belligerent parties and the networks that fuel it" Source: infobae.

Leaders' reactions

SAF leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who also heads the Sovereign Council in Khartoum, has refused to negotiate with the RSF, arguing that doing so would "legitimize" the paramilitaries or "equate them" with the constitutional armed forces. In a Foreign Policy article, he insisted the conflict is "not a clash between two factions nor a civil war" Source: infobae. Meanwhile, the US denied Burhan a visa to attend the UN General Assembly, a move confirmed by diplomatic sources and the UN Source: clarin.

Regional dynamics

The war erupted on April 15, 2023, over disagreements on integrating the RSF into the army during a stalled political transition after the 2019 ouster of dictator Omar al-Bashir. Regional powers are divided: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt back Burhan, while the United Arab Emirates is the main supporter of the RSF Source: infobae.