The New York Times published on 21 September 2025 a commentary titled "Sudan Is What Happens When You Recognize a Junta" by Suliman Baldo, director of Sudan Transparency, and Mai Hassan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The authors argue that the international community may be about to make a grave mistake by legitimizing Sudan's government controlled by the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), which it describes as responsible as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces for "usurping civilian democratic rule." The United States and others should empower Sudan's civilian representatives, not its warlords.
