Sudan’s Sovereign Council President, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has agreed to a seven-day humanitarian ceasefire in El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, as fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF continues to endanger civilians. The decision, announced Friday, follows a phone call between al-Burhan and UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who urged a temporary truce to allow humanitarian aid delivery. The Sovereign Council said the ceasefire aims to comply with recent UN Security Council resolutions calling for unhindered humanitarian access, though no specific start date has been confirmed. The RSF has yet to respond to the proposal.
El-Fasher, a vital humanitarian hub for Darfur’s five states, has witnessed escalating violence since May 10, 2024. With roads cut off, hospitals overwhelmed, and aid convoys blocked, humanitarian operations face mounting challenges. The conflict in Sudan erupted in April 2023 when tensions between al-Burhan’s SAF and RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti) boiled over into open warfare. Over 24,000 people have since been killed, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), and an estimated 13 million Sudanese have been displaced—making it one of the world’s largest displacement crises.
The World Food Programme has warned of imminent famine in several areas, while the World Health Organization has reported widespread cholera outbreaks in displacement camps. Both SAF and RSF have been accused of committing war crimes, including deliberate attacks on civilians, sexual violence, and obstruction of humanitarian aid. As international pressure mounts, the ceasefire could serve as a test case for broader peace efforts—if respected by both sides.
