Darfur Governor Says Sudan Government Lacks Vision to End War, Slams UAE

22 October 2025

Minni Minawi (file photo)

October 22, 2025 (PORT SUDAN) – The governor of the Darfur region, Minni Arko Minawi, said on Wednesday that the Sudanese government lacks a unified vision to end its war with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and criticised a government roadmap he claimed could lead to the country’s division.

Minawi, who leads the Sudan Liberation Movement, oversees a joint force of armed factions, primarily from Darfur, that fights alongside the army.

“To this moment, there is no real working group within the government handling the issue of ending the war, and there is no unified vision in this regard,” Minawi said in an interview with the BBC, scheduled to air on Saturday.

He stated that he was not involved in drafting the roadmap the Sudanese government presented to the United Nations, adding that he objects to some of its clauses, particularly those he fears could lead to the division of Sudan.

On March 10, Sudan submitted the roadmap to the UN, outlining a vision and practical steps to halt the conflict and arrange for a post-war transitional phase.

The plan called for a ceasefire coinciding with the RSF’s withdrawal from Khartoum, Kordofan states, and El Fasher in North Darfur. It proposed that RSF forces gather in designated areas in Darfur within ten days.

The roadmap allocated three months for the return of displaced persons and the delivery of aid, followed by a six-month period to restore water, electricity, health, and education services. Subsequent steps would include negotiations on the future of the RSF, the formation of an independent government, and the launch of a comprehensive, UN-sponsored intra-Sudanese dialogue within the country.

Minawi urged the international community to pressure the United Arab Emirates if it genuinely seeks to change the situation, stating that the UAE bears significant responsibility for the events in El Fasher.

“The situation in the city of El Fasher is catastrophic, and there is deliberate targeting of the population and infrastructure by the Rapid Support Forces,” he added.

He described the battle for El Fasher as an imbalanced fight between an army with limited capabilities and the RSF, which he said receives direct support from the UAE.

Food has been entirely depleted in El Fasher as the RSF has blocked supplies and relief from reaching the city it has besieged since April 2024. All water sources, markets, shops, and most health facilities have also been destroyed.

During its persistent attempts to seize control of El Fasher, the RSF has committed extensive violations, including mass killings, ethnically motivated violence, sexual violence, destruction of livelihoods, and raids on homes, displacement camps, and shelters.

Minawi criticised the UAE’s involvement in the Quad mediation mechanism. “How can it be part of a mediation to end the war when it is the one that ignited it?” he asked.

He argued that the Sudanese government must “directly rearrange its relationship with the UAE” before discussing any peace process.

“The UAE refuses to stop the war in Sudan and seeks to impose peace according to colonial terms, and we reject this type of settlement,” Minawi continued.

On September 12, the Quad, comprising the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE, proposed a plan to end the Sudan conflict based on a three-month humanitarian truce, followed by a permanent ceasefire and a comprehensive political process.

The UAE provides a continuous supply of advanced military hardware, including drones, to the RSF, which allegedly smuggles most of the gold from mines in its areas of control back to the Gulf state.

Minawi endorsed the participation of the former ruling National Congress Party in the intra-Sudanese dialogue, viewing it as part of the political landscape. However, he rejected the RSF’s involvement, stating, “They are fighting us now and committing war crimes.”

He also called on the government to hand over ousted President Omar al-Bashir and his aides to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and to ratify the Rome Statute, the court’s founding treaty.

The ICC is seeking Bashir and two of his senior officials, Abdel Raheem Muhammad Hussein and Ahmed Haroun, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the counter-insurgency campaign in Darfur.