Sudan official proposes talks on arms control and civilian rule
Malik Agar Ayyir’s plan seeks a common government-aligned position on ending Sudan’s war and preparing for elections, Al Jazeera reported.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
Malik Agar Ayyir, a former rebel leader who is now a senior figure in Sudan’s transitional authorities, has put forward a proposal aimed at ending the country’s civil war and setting up a path to civilian government. The plan matters because previous diplomatic efforts have failed to stop fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, a conflict Al Jazeera says has killed thousands and displaced 14 million people since April 2023.
Agar is deputy chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council and heads a militia group that previously fought the government in Khartoum, according to Al Jazeera. His proposal calls for the state to regain sole control over weapons and for armed groups outside state command to be dissolved as part of a transition toward free elections.
Al Jazeera reported that it obtained the proposal, which seeks to build agreement among groups aligned with Sudan’s internationally recognised government. The plan would use dialogue, or a series of meetings, to address the main disputes facing the country.
Those disputes include the future role of the Sudanese Armed Forces, the handling of the war with the RSF, the place of foreign powers in any settlement, and the shape of Sudan’s future system of government, according to Al Jazeera. The proposal also says progress requires acknowledging the role that external actors have played in Sudan’s domestic affairs.
Sudanese officials have for years accused regional actors, particularly the United Arab Emirates, of backing the RSF rebellion, Al Jazeera reported. The UAE’s alleged role has been a recurring obstacle in peace efforts involving outside governments.
Agar’s plan would build on a 2020 peace agreement between Sudan’s government and several rebel groups, Al Jazeera reported. That deal was meant to address decades of instability and internal conflict.
Earlier peace efforts faltered
The new proposal follows several failed or stalled attempts to end the war. In 2025, Sudan brought a peace plan more than once to the UN Security Council that required RSF fighters to leave large areas of western and central Sudan before talks could begin, according to Al Jazeera. RSF leaders rejected that approach.
Another initiative, led by the United States, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, called in November for an immediate three-month humanitarian truce followed by a permanent peace deal and major changes to Sudan’s government, Al Jazeera reported. Sudan’s army rejected that plan as biased, pointing to the UAE’s role and alleging that the terms favoured the RSF.
In December, a separate civilian-led effort known as the Nairobi roadmap sought to establish what Al Jazeera described as a credible “third pole” beyond the SAF and RSF. That initiative aimed to give Sudanese civilians a political role outside the control of armed groups.
Al Jazeera reported that Agar has previously ruled out negotiations with the RSF. His new proposal treats any talks between the army and the paramilitary force as a separate track from the dialogue he is proposing among government-aligned actors.
The war has produced what Al Jazeera described as the world’s largest current humanitarian and refugee crisis. Armed factions in Sudan have also faced accusations of grave rights abuses, including allegations of ethnic cleansing and genocide, according to the outlet.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.