Sudan’s RSF accepts US-led plan for a humanitarian truce - a cautious step towards peace
As-salamu alaykum. Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) says it has accepted a proposal from the US and several regional partners to pause more than two years of fighting with a humanitarian ceasefire.
The RSF announced its support for a plan put forward by the US, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt - proposing a three-month truce followed by steps towards restoring civilian rule. The group said the aim is to “address the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of the war and to enhance the protection of civilians.”
The RSF statement said it “affirms its agreement to enter into the humanitarian truce proposed by the Quad countries,” referring to the four powers involved in the peace effort.
A former Sudanese cabinet minister, Khalid Omar Yousif, told local media there is wide backing for the four-country plan but stressed that greater pressure is needed on both sides to stop the fighting. The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), which have been fighting the RSF since clashes began in 2023, have not formally agreed to the ceasefire yet but said they welcome the US-led initiative.
A US State Department representative said Washington “continues to engage directly with the RSF and SAF to facilitate a humanitarian truce,” and urged both sides to move forward given the urgent need to reduce violence and relieve the suffering of the Sudanese people.
The conflict began in April 2023 after the army and the RSF, previously partners in power, fell out over plans to integrate their forces. In a memorandum to the UN Security Council this week, 178 Sudanese civil society figures, including Mr Yousif, expressed support for the Quad’s peace roadmap and urged the group to apply “maximum pressure” on the warring parties.
Mr Yousif, who served as Minister for Cabinet Affairs under Sudan’s 2019 civilian government, said the broad range of signatories - academics, artists, journalists, religious leaders, youth, women and political figures - shows wide agreement with the Quad’s vision and an urgency for action.
The signatories described the plan as “a genuine push towards a just peace” and “a ray of hope to extinguish Sudan’s raging fire.” Their letter warned that nearly 1,000 days of war have devastated towns and villages, displaced millions, and caused widespread hunger. They insisted that “there can be no peace without justice” and called for accountability for atrocities, including alleged massacres in El Fasher.
On Wednesday, Sudan’s defence minister in the army-backed administration said the peace efforts were “welcome and appreciated” but added that popular mobilisation would continue against the RSF. His remarks followed a security council meeting led by army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan.
The RSF said it looks forward to implementing the agreement and starting talks on arrangements for a cessation of hostilities and the political principles needed to resolve Sudan’s crisis, including addressing root causes.
Under the proposal, the initial humanitarian truce would be followed by a longer cessation and steps toward returning to civilian rule, with some groups to be excluded from political transition talks as specified by the plan.
The war, now into its third year, has killed tens of thousands and displaced around 14 million people. About half the population - roughly 30 million people - face food insecurity, with pockets of famine emerging in some areas. The recent fall of El Fasher to the RSF after a long siege has strengthened the group’s control over Darfur, while the army retains control of Khartoum and other regions.
This tentative agreement offers a chance to relieve immediate suffering, but many observers and civic leaders say stronger international and regional pressure is still needed to secure a lasting end to the bloodshed and a just return to civilian government.
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