Sudan RSF advisor denies peace talks, Darfur autonomy proposals

July 13, 2025 (NAIROBI) – A senior advisor to the commander of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Sunday denied that any regional or international parties had proposed negotiations with the Sudanese army or offered autonomy for the Darfur region.

Mohamed Mukhtar, the advisor to RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, told Sudan Tribune there were “no negotiations with the army” and that “no proposal for autonomy has been presented to us.”

His comments came amid escalating concerns from observers about a new secession in Sudan, following the independence of the south in 2011 after a two-decade war.

An Arab diplomat with close ties to the Sudanese conflict’s negotiation file told Sudan Tribune about a proposal from a Western country for the resumption of talks between the Sudanese army and the RSF to end the war.

The ambassador also confirmed that this proposal included the possibility of granting the Darfur region autonomy to alleviate the 22 years of suffering experienced by its residents.

Previous talks failed, UN concerns mount

Earlier, a senior Western diplomat told Sudan Tribune that the warring parties had refused to return to the negotiation table, and that all previous attempts had failed.

The diplomat stressed that international and regional parties would not stand idly by, and were working within partner circles to urge the parties to return to negotiations and end the war.

United Nations reports have voiced concern about the situation in the Darfur and Kordofan regions, where civilians continue to flee ongoing conflict and widespread insecurity.