Sudanese army rejects US ceasefire proposal with Rapid Support Forces

Sudan’s Armed Forces have rejected a US initiative to establish a ceasefire with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with whom they have been fighting since April 2023.

Defence Minister Hassan Kabroon made the announcement after the country’s Security and Defence Council met to discuss the US proposal for a ceasefire, Caliber.Az reports, citing Bloomberg.

“The council expressed its gratitude to the government of the US for its efforts to end the conflict,” Kabroon said in a televised address, adding that the council resolved to rally the Sudanese population behind the armed forces to eradicate the rebel militia as part of the nationwide mobilisation and the government’s broader campaign to restore stability.

He stated that their readiness for war was a legitimate national right after the council meeting in Khartoum.

No details of the US ceasefire proposal were disclosed.

Earlier, on November 3, US President’s Senior Adviser for Africa Massad Boulos said Sudan’s military and the RSF had generally agreed to a humanitarian truce in the country, though the two sides are not in direct contact.

Boulos noted that the ceasefire plan was part of a broader peace initiative developed by the United States, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

The plan envisions a three-month truce as a first step toward a permanent ceasefire, followed by a nine-month transition period to establish an independent, civilian-led government.

The conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has plunged Sudan into one of the world’s most acute humanitarian crises since it erupted in April 2023.

Since the violence erupted in Khartoum amid a power struggle between the SAF and RSF, Sudan has descended into what the United Nations describes as the world’s most severe humanitarian crisis.

The conflict has triggered massive displacement—over 11 million people internally and millions more forced to flee abroad—while more than half the population now requires humanitarian aid.

The collapse of essential services, outbreaks of disease, and confirmed famine in parts of western Sudan such as Darfur amplify the desperation of millions.

Both armed groups have been accused of serious violations of international law, including attacks on civilians, health facilities and infrastructure, raising concerns about war crimes and crimes against humanity.

By Jeyhun Aghazada