Sudan Army Conditions U.S. Truce Plan on RSF Withdrawal From Cities
Sudan’s army has conditioned broad acceptance of a U.S. proposal for a 90-day humanitarian truce on the Rapid Support Forces withdrawing fully from cities controlled by the paramilitary group, according to documents reported by Reuters on July 9, 2026.
The condition leaves the proposed pause in fighting unresolved while adding a major obstacle to a diplomatic effort aimed at easing Sudan’s prolonged civil war. The U.S. plan calls for an immediate 90-day truce, followed by negotiations toward a permanent ceasefire and a civilian-led transition to elections.
The Sudanese army had initially told the U.N. Security Council that it rejected the proposal, Reuters reported. Documents later showed that the army’s position was to condition broad acceptance on the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, withdrawing from cities it occupies.
A proposed pause, not an agreement
The plan is not in force, and the two sides have not agreed to a ceasefire. The army has not agreed to the RSF remaining in the cities it controls, while the RSF’s detailed written response and conditions have not been publicly disclosed.
A senior RSF official told Reuters that the force had received and welcomed the latest proposal. That response indicates an opening for further talks, but it does not establish that the RSF has accepted the army’s withdrawal condition.
The proposed sequence is significant. The 90-day humanitarian truce would be used first to allow negotiations on a permanent ceasefire. Those talks would then be intended to support a transition led by civilians and ultimately elections.
That makes the proposal more than a short-term pause in fighting, at least in its stated design. It links immediate humanitarian relief to a political process for ending military rule and moving Sudan toward civilian government. The plan’s practical prospects, however, depend on whether the army and the RSF can agree on the terms of a pause and the movement of forces in urban areas.
Humanitarian stakes
The conflict has displaced millions and caused widespread hunger and disease, Reuters reported. The United Nations has described Sudan’s humanitarian needs as extraordinary and said nearly 34 million people would require aid in the country in 2026.
A truce could create conditions for improved humanitarian access if it were respected by both sides. It could also give negotiators time to work on a permanent ceasefire rather than trying to settle the conflict while active fighting continues.
But a pause would not by itself resolve the political and military disputes at the center of the war. The army’s demand for a full RSF withdrawal from cities makes the location and status of armed forces a central question before any truce could begin. The RSF’s welcome for the U.S. proposal has not been matched by a public commitment to that condition.
What comes next
The next known step is further discussion of the U.S. proposal, including whether the parties can reconcile the army’s withdrawal demand with the RSF’s position. The proposed 90-day period would begin only after an agreement and implementation of the truce; it is not a deadline that has already started.
If the parties reach terms, the plan envisions negotiations on a permanent ceasefire and a civilian-led transition to elections. If they do not, the diplomatic opening will remain only a proposal while Sudan’s humanitarian crisis continues.
Sources
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