Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have agreed to a proposal from the United States and Arab powers for a humanitarian ceasefire and expressed readiness to begin talks on a broader cessation of hostilities, the group said in a statement on Thursday.
The development comes more than two years into the conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese army, which began in April 2023 and has defied multiple previous ceasefire attempts.
“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,” the RSF said.
The Sudanese army has yet to respond to the latest proposal. Earlier this week, the army-led Security and Defense Council met to discuss the offer but stopped short of a definitive decision, amid opposition from hardline elements within its ranks.
US Ceasefire Proposal
The U.S. State Department confirmed ongoing diplomatic engagement to broker a truce.
“We urge both sides to move forward in response to the U.S.-led effort to conclude a humanitarian truce, given the immediate urgency of de-escalating the violence and ending the suffering of the Sudanese people,” a State Department spokesperson said.
The United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt had jointly called in September for a three-month humanitarian truce to be followed by a permanent ceasefire.
The RSF announcement comes less than two weeks after the group seized al-Fashir, a famine-stricken city in North Darfur, consolidating its control over much of the region. Witnesses and humanitarian groups have accused RSF fighters of killing and abducting civilians during and after the city’s capture, including carrying out summary executions.
RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, has since urged his fighters to protect civilians and promised that any violations would be punished.