Sudanese Armed Forces chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and Massad Boulos, US President Donald Trump's senior adviser for Africa, met in Switzerland this week to discuss an American plan to end Sudan's civil war, sources told The National.
They said the two held a three-hour meeting on Monday to discuss a US proposal for a nationwide ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian assistance to 25 million people facing hunger.
There was no immediate word from the army or the military-backed government on the meeting. Sudanese media reports said Gen Al Burhan, Sudan's de facto leader, has returned to Sudan.
The sources said the meeting was discussed on August 9 by Sudan's Defence and Security Council, a body chaired by the general that comprises senior army and police officers, as well as the heads of intelligence agencies.
The council agreed by consensus that Gen Al Burhan should travel to Switzerland for the meeting, they added.
The war in Sudan broke out in April 2023 when months of tension between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces over their role in a democratic Sudan boiled over into open conflict.
Tens of thousands have died in the conflict, which has given rise to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, displaced more than 13 million people and led to the fragmentation of the country.
The army now controls the capital Khartoum as well as the eastern, central and northern regions of Sudan, while the RSF holds the entire western Darfur region save the contested city of El Fasher, as well as parts of Kordofan to the south.
During the Monday meeting, Gen Al Burhan ruled out a political role for the RSF in a future administration, according to an AFP report quoting government sources.
Gen Al Burhan has repeatedly said he would continue fighting until the RSF is either defeated or agrees to surrender. He has declined several bids by prospective mediators to enter peace negotiations.
Both Gen Al Burhan and RSF commander Gen Mohamed Dagalo claim to be fighting for a democratic and prosperous Sudan. The two generals, however, together toppled a civilian-led government in a 2021 coup that derailed the country's transition to democratic rule.
Both the army and the RSF are also accused of war crimes and their two leaders were sanctioned by the US during the final days of the Joe Biden administration in January this year.
The US and Saudi Arabia had tried to mediate an end to the conflict during its early days but a string of ceasefires they brokered collapsed soon after they went into force.
Wednesday's meeting in Switzerland took place as the army and RSF engage in intense fighting in parts of Kordofan and around El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, that has been besieged by the paramilitary force since May last year.
However, the army and its allies are not making much progress in Kordofan, from where they hope to march on Darfur.
Al Shafie Ahmed reported from Kampala, Uganda.
