Sudan's RSF agrees to US proposal for humanitarian ceasefire

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces agreed to a proposal from the United States and Arab powers for a humanitarian ceasefire and is open to talks on a cessation of hostilities, it said on Thursday in a statement.

Both the RSF and the Sudanese army have agreed to various ceasefire proposals during their two-and-a-half-year-old war, though none have succeeded. US President Donald Trump's administration has said it was working towards ending fighting in Sudan.

The announcement, which the Sudanese army did not immediately respond to, comes less than two weeks after the RSF took over the famine-stricken city of  El Fasher, consolidating its control over the vast, western region of Darfur.

"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," an RSF statement said.

Earlier this week, the army-led Security and Defense Council met but did not give a definitive answer to the proposal, though influential leaders and allies within the army have expressed their disapproval.

A US State Department spokesperson on Thursday said the United States continued to engage directly with the parties to facilitate a humanitarian truce.

"We urge both sides to move forward in response to the US-led effort to conclude a humanitarian truce, given the immediate urgency of de-escalating the violence and ending the suffering of the Sudanese people," the spokesperson said.

The United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt called in September for a three-month humanitarian truce in Sudan to be followed by a permanent ceasefire.

Witnesses say the RSF killed and abducted civilians during and after its capture of El Fasher, including in summary executions, leading to international concern.

Its leader called on fighters to protect civilians and said violations would be prosecuted.

The war between the Sudanese army and the RSF erupted in April 2023 when the two forces, then partners in power, clashed over plans to integrate their forces.

The conflict has devastated Sudan, killing tens of thousands of people, causing hunger to spread across the country and displacing millions of people.