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Documents seen by Reuters have shown that the Sudanese army has demanded the complete withdrawal of the Rapid Support Forces from the cities they control in order to broadly accept a US proposal aimed at ending the three-year civil war.

The documents, whose content senior officials confirmed, show that a US proposal put forward last month called on both sides to agree to an immediate 90-day humanitarian truce, paving the way for negotiations on a permanent ceasefire and a peaceful civilian-led transition to elections.

The US proposal, which was received by the army-led Sudanese government on June 20, called for establishing a UN-led mechanism to support limited withdrawal operations of the Rapid Support Forces, prioritizing North Darfur, where the militia recently took control of El Fasher city in a violent attack, and North Kordofan, which is currently a target of drone strikes carried out by the Rapid Support Forces.

According to the documents, the Sudanese army-led government agreed to most of the proposal's terms but objected to the issue of limited withdrawal and said the plan should include the withdrawal of the Rapid Support Forces from all cities they have controlled since May 11, 2023.

The US proposal also called for forming a unified national army with arrangements for disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration, as well as a Sudanese civilian-led political process that excludes the Muslim Brotherhood and elements of armed groups accused of committing atrocities.

After initially informing the UN Security Council that Sudan had rejected the proposal, US adviser for Arab and African affairs Masad Boulos said in a social media post last week that he was 'very happy' to hear that Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan 'apparently accepted – rather than rejected – the latest peace proposal'.

The United States has led previous failed attempts to end the conflict, which has caused millions to flee and spread hunger and disease, and is believed to have killed hundreds of thousands according to multiple estimates.

UN experts have accused the Rapid Support Forces of committing genocide in the Darfur region, where they have imposed their control and begun establishing a parallel government.

A senior Rapid Support Forces official told Reuters that the forces received the latest proposal, welcomed it, and provided a written response, but he did not provide further details.

The Rapid Support Forces have previously welcomed peace proposals while continuing to launch attacks.

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