On Thursday, Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), involved in a prolonged conflict with the national army for over two years, announced their acceptance of a humanitarian truce proposal from mediators.
This announcement came after the RSF took control of El Fasher, ousting the army from its final stronghold in the expansive western Darfur region.
“In line with the hopes and interests of the Sudanese people, the Rapid Support Forces confirm their agreement to the humanitarian truce proposed by the Quad countries,” stated the RSF, referring to the United States, Egypt, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
The government, aligned with the military, did not immediately respond to the RSF’s declaration.
Earlier, army chief Abdel Fattah Al Burhan stated his forces were “committed to defeating the enemy.”
“We will soon avenge those killed and abused in the regions attacked by the rebels,” he declared in a televised speech.
The government had suggested earlier this week that it would continue the conflict following an internal discussion on a ceasefire proposal.
Details of the mediators’ proposal remain undisclosed, but a prior version in September suggested a three-month humanitarian truce, a permanent ceasefire, and a nine-month transition to civilian rule excluding both warring factions.
In its statement, the RSF emphasized the need for a ceasefire “to alleviate the disastrous humanitarian effects of the war and enhance civilian protection,” and to “ensure the prompt delivery of humanitarian aid.”
The capture of El Fasher granted the paramilitaries control of all five state capitals in Darfur, sparking fears of Sudan’s potential partition along an east-west divide.
The RSF now controls Darfur and parts of the south, while the army maintains hold over the north, east, and central areas along the Nile and Red Sea.
The conflict in Sudan, ongoing since April 2023, pits the forces of army chief Abdel Fattah Al Burhan against those of his former deputy, RSF commander Mohammed Hamdan Daglo.
