Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) say they have agreed to a US-led proposal for a humanitarian ceasefire.
The war began in April 2023 after the Sudanese army and RSF, then partners, clashed over plans to integrate.
The agreement to a truce follows reports of mass killings during the fall of Al Fashir, a city which was recently captured by the RSF.
Al Fashir, which was under siege for more than 18 months, had been the army’s last holdout in the region of Darfur, making its capture a key milestone in the war.
That gave RSF de facto control of more than a quarter of the territory.
Thousands of people who fled the city as it fell to the RSF were targeted in killing fields around it by the group, after the military’s top brass secured their own safe passage.
More than 60,000 people were still missing and humanitarians fear that Al Fashir’s remaining 200,000 residents were being held hostage by RSF fighters.
The US, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt – known as the Quad – have been working on ways to end the war.
In September, they had called for a three-month humanitarian truce in Sudan, to be followed by a permanent ceasefire.
The RSF have said they are “looking forward” to starting talks on a “cessation of hostilities”.
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‘Fundamental principles guiding political process’
They said in a statement the RSF “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 Sudanese army did not immediately respond to the announcement.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had said on Tuesday: “The United States has actively engaged in efforts to bring about a peaceful resolution to the terrible conflict in Sudan.”
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Previously, the RSF and the Sudanese army had agreed to various ceasefire proposals during their two-and-a-half-year-old war, but none have succeeded.
The army-led Security and Defence Council met earlier this week but did not give a definitive answer to the proposal. Influential leaders and allies within the army expressed their disapproval.
Displaced children and families from Al Fashir. Pic: UNICEF via AP
Millions displaced
According to witnesses, the RSF killed and abducted civilians during and after its capture of Al Fashir.
Its leader had called on fighters to protect civilians and said violations would be prosecuted.
The devastating conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and sparked hunger across the country, while also displacing millions of people.
