Sudan's paramilitary force agrees to U.S. proposal for humanitarian ceasefire

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: Nov 06, 2025 10:02 AM EST | Last Updated: November 6

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed to a connection from the United States and Arab powers for a humanitarian ceasefire and is unfastened to talks connected a cessation of hostilities, it said connected Thursday successful a statement.

Both the RSF and the Sudanese service person agreed to assorted ceasefire proposals during their 2½-year-long war, though nary person succeeded. U.S. President Donald Trump's medication has said it was moving toward ending warring successful Sudan.

The announcement, which the Sudanese service did not instantly respond to, comes much than a week aft the radical seized the famine-stricken metropolis of El Fasher, which has been nether siege for much than 18 months. It was besides the past Sudanese subject stronghold successful the occidental Darfur region.

"The Rapid Support Forces besides looks guardant to implementing the statement and instantly commencing discussions connected the arrangements for a cessation of hostilities and the cardinal principles guiding the governmental process successful Sudan," an RSF connection said.

Earlier this week, the army-led Security and Defense Council met but did not springiness a definitive reply to the proposal, though influential leaders and allies wrong the service person expressed their disapproval.

An injured and displaced Sudanese antheral receives attraction successful Twila, North Darfur, aft fleeing the unit successful El Fasher. (Mohamed Jamal/Reuters)

A Sudan subject authoritative told The Associated Press that the service welcomes the connection but volition lone hold to a truce erstwhile the RSF wholly withdraws from civilian areas and gives up weapons arsenic per erstwhile bid proposals. The authoritative spoke connected the information of anonymity to sermon the substance

Massad Boulos, a U.S. advisor for African affairs, said the U.S. was moving with the Sudanese service and RSF to bring astir a humanitarian truce and could person an announcement "soon."

"We were moving connected this for the past astir 10 days with some sides, hoping to finalize the details," Boulos told AP successful an interrogation connected Monday. The U.S.-led program would commencement with a three-month humanitarian truce followed by a nine-month governmental process, helium said.

Thousands killed, millions displaced: WHO

The warfare betwixt the RSF and the subject began successful 2023, erstwhile tensions erupted betwixt the 2 erstwhile allies that were meant to oversee a antiauthoritarian modulation aft a 2019 uprising. 

The warring has killed astatine slightest 40,000 people, according to the WHO, and displaced 12 million. However, assistance groups accidental the existent decease toll could beryllium galore times higher. Over 24 cardinal radical are besides facing acute nutrient insecurity, according to the World Food Program.

Humanitarian organizations person agelong labeled Sudan arsenic having 1 of the astir alarming displacement crises successful the world. Most recently, much radical were displaced aft El Fasher was overtaken by the RSF pursuing a bid of attacks by the radical that ran rampant successful the city.

Witnesses accidental the RSF killed and abducted civilians during and aft its seizure of El Fasher, including successful summary executions, starring to planetary concern.

Last week, the U.N. quality rights bureau estimated that hundreds of civilians and unarmed fighters whitethorn person been executed during RSF’s seizure of El Fasher. Such killings are considered warfare crimes.

Several eyewitnesses told planetary aesculapian foundation Doctors Without Borders that a radical of 500 civilians and soldiers from the Sudanese Armed Forces and allied groups tried to fly connected October 26, but astir were killed oregon captured by the RSF and its allies.

"Survivors study individuals being separated by gender, age, oregon perceived taste identity, and galore who stay held for ransom, with sums ranging from 5 cardinal to 30 cardinal Sudanese pounds ($11,000 to $70,000 Cdn)," MSF said successful a connection past week.

A Sudanese miss lies wrong a makeshift session tally by Doctors Without Borders successful Tawila aft fleeing El Fasher. (Mohamed Jamal/Reuters)

Reuters has verified astatine slightest 3 videos posted connected societal media showing men successful RSF uniforms shooting unarmed captives and a twelve much showing clusters of bodies aft evident shootings.

A high-level RSF commandant called the accounts "media exaggeration" by the service and its allied fighters "to screen up for their decision and nonaccomplishment of El Fasher."

The RSF's enactment had ordered investigations into immoderate violations by RSF individuals and respective had been arrested, helium said, adding that the RSF had helped radical permission the metropolis and called connected assistance organizations to assistance those who remained.

He said soldiers and fighters pretending to beryllium civilians had been taken distant for interrogation. "There were nary killings arsenic has been claimed," the commandant told Reuters successful effect to a petition for comment.

A ‘man-made’ famine

The nonprofit Islamic Relief warned successful a connection Thursday that assemblage kitchens that supply a lifeline to galore families are astatine hazard of collapse. A caller survey by the radical recovered that 83 per cent of families successful eastbound and westbound Sudan are present without capable food.

Sudanese men cod h2o astatine a campy successful Tawila aft fleeing El Fasher city. (Mohammed Bakry/The Associated Press)

El-Fasher, the superior metropolis of North Darfur, is 1 of 2 regions deed by famine, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a planetary hunger monitoring group, said Monday. The different is the municipality of Kadugli successful South Kordofan province.

"We person to corroborate that the main crushed down this famine is that it's man-made. We're not talking astir earthy disasters due to the fact that determination is ongoing conflict, insecurity, the inability to entree nutrient and the deficiency of humanitarian corridors that ensures radical successful overmuch request get food," said AbdulHakim Elwaer, determination typical for Near East and North Africa.

Elwaer told The Associated Press connected Thursday during a video telephone that determination were talks for astir 2 years astir making it easier for assistance to scope communities successful request done opening harmless humanitarian corridors.

"I'm optimistic that by the extremity of the twelvemonth we'll scope a solution and determination has to beryllium a solution due to the fact that we can't let millions of radical to dice of hunger due to the fact that assistance is not reaching them," helium said.