This week, will Ukraine-Russia peace deal reach success? Sudan army rejects US ceasefire proposal. Violence continues in DRC despite peace efforts.
Will Ukraine-Russia Peace Deal Reach Success?
On November 25, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready to advance a US-backed framework for ending the war with Russia, and to discuss remaining points of disagreement with United States President Donald Trump in talks he said should include European allies.
However, after Ukraine indicated that Zelensky was prepared to go to Washington to finalize a deal with Trump on the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia launched a missile and drone attack on Kyiv, killing at least seven people and injuring 20 others.
Trump had originally proposed a 28-point peace plan that some European countries criticized as caving in to Russian demands. The UK, France, and Germany drafted a counterproposal that would halt fighting at the front lines, leaving discussions of territory for later. According to a draft viewed by Reuters, the proposal would include a NATO-style US security guarantee for Ukraine.
Zelensky said on November 24 that the peace plan now contained fewer than 28 points and incorporated “correct elements,” and that he would discuss “sensitive issues, the most delicate points” with Trump.
Russia President Vladimir Putin has said the details of the draft peace deal between the US and Ukraine could provide a framework for a future agreement. Putin suggested he was open to developing a new agreement, however, he added that Russia would continue fighting if no deal was struck.
This development is continuing to unfold, and it remains to be seen if Ukraine and Russia will reach any progress in peace.
Sudan Army Rejects US Ceasefire Proposal
On November 23, Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said the United States’ latest ceasefire proposal was unacceptable. Burhan insisted that future proposals would also be one-sided as long as the United Arab Emirates is involved in negotiations with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), although the UAE denies supporting the RSF.
In a video address, Burhan said the proposal was was “the worst ever” because it sidelines the army and “allows the Rapid Support Forces to remain.”
Massad Boulos, US President Donald Trump’s senior Africa envoy, denied the bias Burhan accused the US of. He said, “He was making reference to something that does not exist, that has never been presented by us. So we have no idea what he is talking about.”
This development comes after the US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and UAE proposed a three-month humanitarian truce in September, followed by a permanent ceasefire and transition to civilian rule. The RSF said it had agreed to a humanitarian ceasefire, however, there were later reports of violence by the group. The Sudanese army rejected “foreign interference,” and has repeatedly accused the UAE of providing the RSF with foreign fighters and weapons.
Violence Continues in DRC Despite Peace Efforts
Violence against civilians is continuing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) despite peace efforts. On November 16, M23 rebels and the DRC government signed a framework for peace in the country’s eastern region. The US’s Africa Envoy Massad Boulos said the document covered eight protocols and that most still required work. He noted that prisoner exchanges and ceasefire monitoring had been slower than originally hoped, BBC reported.
The DRC demanded the withdrawal of Rwandan troops from its territory. Rwanda says this can happen after the DRC-based Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebel militia is disbanded. The FDLR is largely made up of ethnic Hutus who participated in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Between November 23 and 24, members of the AFC-M23 executed 12 men between the ages of 20 and 40 under the pretext of collaborating with and/or belonging to the “Wazalendo” militia, Agenzia Fides reported.
Keywords: Russia, Ukraine, Sudan, DRC, Congo, DR Congo, peace, conflict, conflict resolution, ceasefire
Tara Abhasakun
Tara Abhasakun is Peace News Network (PNN)'s managing editor. She is journalist based in Christchurch, New Zealand, and formerly in Bangkok, Thailand. She has reported on a range of human rights issues involving youth protests in Thailand, as well as arts and culture. Tara's work has appeared in several outlets, including Al Jazeera and South China Morning Post.
