Sudan Faces Diverging Ceasefire Moves as RSF Announces Truce and Army Rejects US-Led Proposal

Sudan Faces Diverging Ceasefire Moves as RSF Announces Truce and Army Rejects US-Led Proposal
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Sudan’s ongoing war, which erupted in April 2023 between the military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has taken a dramatic turn after conflicting responses to a US-led ceasefire initiative.

On Monday, RSF head General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo announced that his paramilitaries would observe a three-month humanitarian truce, following appeals from US President Donald Trump and the “Quad” of mediating countries, including the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, Arab News reported.

Dagalo noted that he hopes the mediating countries will pressure the army to engage. The RSF has faced international condemnation for brutal attacks on civilians, particularly after consolidating control of Darfur and stepping up operations in the Kordofan region.

Sudan’s army chief, General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, however, rejected the US-led plan, calling it “the worst document yet” and accusing mediators of bias. He criticized the proposal for effectively preserving RSF territorial gains while undermining the military and other security institutions. Burhan insisted that the army would only agree to a truce if the RSF withdrew from civilian areas, allowing displaced people to return, before entering political negotiations.

The war has killed tens of thousands of civilians—UN figures estimate over 40,000—with millions displaced, famine spreading, and disease outbreaks worsening humanitarian conditions. Both Dagalo and Burhan have been sanctioned by the United States, and the RSF faces allegations of genocide.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres also called for an immediate ceasefire, safe humanitarian access, and an end to arms flows into Sudan. “We need peace in Sudan,” he wrote on X, emphasizing urgent negotiations between both sides. UAE’s Minister of State for International Cooperation, Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, criticized the army’s repeated refusal to accept ceasefire proposals, describing it as obstructive behavior.

The conflicting positions of the RSF and Sudanese military, coupled with mounting civilian suffering, underscore the fragile and complex path to peace in the country.