By In a deeply troubling move, the United States recently convened a high-level meeting in Geneva to discuss the catastrophic war in Sudan—without Sudan.
The meeting, organized under the so-called Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan (ALPS) initiative, brought together representatives from the U.S., Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Switzerland, the African Union, and the United Nations. Ostensibly, the goal was to facilitate humanitarian assistance and mediate peace between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group currently engaged in one of Africa’s deadliest wars.
But this carefully choreographed “peace process” represents a moral and political farce. Not only were Sudanese representatives from the recognized government excluded from meaningful participation, but the UAE—a known financier and arms supplier to the RSF—was invited as a legitimate stakeholder in Sudan’s future. This diplomatic maneuvering is not merely misguided—it is a direct assault on Sudanese sovereignty and an endorsement of armed insurgency.
A Dangerous Precedent: Foreign Powers Deciding Sudan’s Fate
The notion that Sudan’s future can be deliberated by foreign powers in air-conditioned halls without the participation of the Sudanese people is a neocolonial fantasy dressed in diplomatic language. The ALPS initiative claims to work for peace and humanitarian relief, but its architecture is fundamentally flawed.
By placing the RSF—a militia responsible for genocide, sexual violence, and the systemic destruction of civilian infrastructure—on equal footing with the Sudanese state, the U.S. and its partners are doing more than facilitating talks. They are legitimizing violence, undermining the rule of law, and emboldening future warlords across Africa.
Let us be clear: the RSF is not a political party. It is not a liberation movement. It is a mercenary force financed, armed, and trained by the UAE, with a clear record of war crimes. Treating them as a valid negotiating party not only insults the millions of Sudanese civilians displaced, orphaned, or slaughtered by their hands—it also threatens to normalize a precedent where money and mercenaries can override national sovereignty.
The Disgraceful Role of the UAE: From Arsonist to Firefighter
The most egregious insult in this process is the inclusion of the UAE as a core member of the ALPS group. Every major international investigation—independent journalism, UN expert reports, and witness testimonies—has confirmed that the UAE has played a central role in sustaining the RSF’s ability to wage war.
Weapons have been shipped through Chad and Libya. Mercenaries have been trained and transported with Emirati logistical support. UAE cargo planes have been linked to arms deliveries in breach of international law. And yet, in Geneva, the arsonist was given a seat at the fire brigade table.
The symbolism could not be clearer: the international system rewards those who destroy, not those who protect.
This is not just a Sudanese grievance. It is a dangerous global precedent. If a wealthy state like the UAE can help launch a genocidal war in Africa and then be invited to dictate the terms of peace, what incentive remains for diplomacy, law, or justice?
Dehumanizing the State: Why Calling SAF a “Faction” Is a Lie
Another deeply troubling trend is the repeated reference to Sudan’s official national military as simply “SAF,” stripping it of the legitimacy and context it rightfully holds.
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) is the national military of a sovereign state—not a tribal militia or insurgent group. It was established decades ago under constitutional and legislative frameworks. It is tasked with defending Sudan’s borders, institutions, and people. It answers to a recognized government, not a foreign funder.
To equate SAF with the RSF—an unaccountable, privately financed paramilitary force—is to obliterate the difference between lawful governance and violent rebellion. It is a linguistic trick meant to appease diplomats while erasing the political reality that there is a Sudanese state and there is a Sudanese government—even if parts of the world refuse to recognize it.
A Manufactured “Peace” That Excludes the People
Perhaps the greatest irony of the ALPS initiative is its complete detachment from Sudanese civil society. Where are the voices of the displaced families? The tribal elders? The civic leaders? The humanitarian volunteers risking their lives to distribute food in besieged areas?
This process is not a peace dialogue—it is a geopolitical transaction.
It is a power-sharing negotiation between countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia—who seek to control Sudan’s strategic trade routes and mineral wealth—and international bodies more interested in stabilizing migration flows and optics than addressing the root causes of this war.
Even the so-called humanitarian corridors discussed during the Geneva talks, such as the Adré border route and Dabbah road, were not created in consultation with those who know the terrain or have firsthand experience of RSF attacks on aid convoys.
The Right Narrative: A Call to the Global Community
Sudan does not need a foreign-imposed roadmap. It needs justice, accountability, and sovereignty.
We at The Right Narrative categorically reject any peace initiative that:
- Ignores the legitimate institutions of the Sudanese state.
- Grants criminal militias a political seat at the table.
- Includes war sponsors like the UAE as neutral mediators.
- Treats Sudanese lives as bargaining chips in regional power games.
We stand with the people of Sudan—those in Darfur, Khartoum, El Gezira, and beyond—who have suffered for far too long under a war that was not of their making.
We urge African nations, the international human rights community, and principled governments to demand a new peace framework—one that prioritizes Sudanese voices, recognizes the sovereignty of the state, and calls out foreign actors who fuel conflict for profit.
Final Word: Sudan Will Not Be Partitioned
The world may try to erase us. The world may try to divide us. But Sudan will not be partitioned, and it will not be sold.
We are a proud, sovereign nation with a long history of struggle, resistance, and unity. No Geneva meeting or Gulf-funded militia can take that away.
Let the world hear us clearly: Sudan is not for sale. And we will never accept a peace built on lies, exclusion, and foreign occupation.