British News Agency

RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo announced the ceasefire in a televised address, stating that his fighters would halt operations to allow the delivery of aid and to protect civilians. Dagalo said the group had agreed to the ceasefire in order to offer “hope” to a population “exhausted by this war”.

Dagalo pledged to set up a field-level monitoring mechanism, to be overseen by the Quartet (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the United States), together with the African Union and other international organisations, to ensure that aid reaches civilians. He also promised to hold RSF members accountable for violations against humanitarian organisations’ offices and to protect relief personnel.

The RSF is accused by rights groups and diplomats of widespread atrocities, including the killing of more than 2,000 civilians in El Fasher, a key Darfur city it seized from the army in October.

The announcement came after Army Chief of Staff Abdel Fattah al-Burhan rejected the Quartet’s proposal for a three-month humanitarian ceasefire followed by a nine-month political process aimed at a lasting settlement.

Al-Burhan said late on Sunday that the roadmap would “eliminate the presence of the armed forces” and dissolve the security apparatus, while leaving the RSF “in their positions”.

Al-Burhan, who also chairs Sudan’s ruling Transitional Sovereignty Council, accused the UAE of bias and of attempting to weaken the army. The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday in turn accused al-Burhan of “persistently obstructionist behaviour”. The UAE has long denied the Sudanese army’s allegations that it arms and finances the RSF.

Al-Burhan also criticised Massad Boulos, one of former US President Donald Trump’s senior advisers, saying that Boulos risked undermining peace. Boulos has accused the army of blocking aid deliveries and of using chemical weapons, allegations the army denies.

Clashes between the army and the RSF, which began in April 2023, have killed thousands of people and displaced millions, fuelling one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.