Sudan’s RSF agrees US-proposed humanitarian ceasefire
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Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has agreed to a proposal from the United States and Arab powers for a humanitarian ceasefire and is open to talks on a cessation of hostilities, it said in a statement.
Both the RSF and the Sudanese army have agreed to various ceasefire proposals during their two-and-a-half-year-old war, though none have succeeded. US President Donald Trump’s administration has said it was working towards ending fighting in Sudan.
The announcement, which the Sudanese army did not immediately respond to, comes less than two weeks after the RSF took over the famine-stricken city of al-Fashir, consolidating its control over the vast, western region of Darfur.
“The Rapid Support Forces also looks forward to implementing the agreement and immediately commencing discussions on the arrangements for a cessation of hostilities and the fundamental principles guiding the political process in Sudan,” an RSF statement said.
Earlier this week, the army-led Security and Defense Council met but did not give a definitive answer to the proposal, though influential leaders and allies within the army have expressed their disapproval.
The United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt called in September for a three-month humanitarian truce in Sudan to be followed by a permanent ceasefire.
Witnesses say the RSF killed and abducted civilians during and after its capture of al-Fashir, including in summary executions, leading to international concern.
Its leader called on fighters to protect civilians and said violations would be prosecuted.
Also on Thursday, the UN Human Rights Council said it would hold an emergency session on the situation in al-Fashir, Sudan, following grave concerns about the mass killings, a UN diplomatic note showed.
The fall of al-Fashir marked a milestone in the African country’s more than two-and-a-half-year civil war, giving the paramilitary group de facto control of more than a quarter of the territory.
Over 50 states supported the motion led by Britain, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands and Norway including the required one-third of current voting members, the document showed.
The session will take place on November 14, it said.
Sudan, which has previously opposed international scrutiny of rights abuses there, is still considering its position on the event, its ambassador to the UN Hassan Hamid Hassan told reporters this week.
The war between the Sudanese army and the RSF erupted in April 2023 when the two forces, then partners in power, clashed over plans to integrate their forces.
The conflict has devastated Sudan, killing tens of thousands of people, causing hunger to spread across the country and displacing millions of people.
Reuters
