“RSF”: We Have Not Received Any Truce Proposal in El Fasher and Will Not Commit to One

Sudan Events – Agencies

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) stated that they have not been officially informed by any party about a proposed humanitarian truce in the city of El Fasher (the capital of North Darfur State), despite efforts by multiple international actors to deliver aid to thousands of civilians trapped there and facing imminent famine.

This statement comes a day after the Chairman of the Sovereignty Council and Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, agreed to a one-week humanitarian truce in the city, following a request by UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

RSF Legal Advisor, Mohamed Al-Mukhtar Al-Nour, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the RSF would not accept any ceasefire, whether partial or otherwise, in El Fasher or elsewhere. He added that the RSF had not received any official communication from the United Nations or the United States, contrary to circulating reports about the proposed truce. He noted that El Fasher is now largely deserted after thousands of civilians fled to areas such as Tawila, Karma, and Jebel Marra, and that those remaining in the city are fighters affiliated with the Sudanese army and allied armed groups.

Al-Nour stressed that the RSF would only accept a comprehensive ceasefire linked to a political process aimed at ending the war and addressing Sudan’s crisis at its roots.

Guterres’s Appeal

UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated on Friday that he was in contact with the warring parties in Sudan in an effort to reach a humanitarian truce to address the dire situation in El Fasher. He said, “I received a positive response from General al-Burhan, and I hope both sides understand the importance of averting the disaster we are witnessing in El Fasher.” Guterres emphasized the need to secure a truce in advance to allow for “a large-scale aid delivery operation” in the area.

According to the latest statistics, El Fasher hosts around half a million citizens, in addition to tens of thousands of displaced people who have fled since the fighting erupted between the Sudanese army and the RSF. These displaced individuals reside in camps such as Abu Shouk, Zamzam, and Al-Salam. The city and surrounding displacement camps suffer from severe shortages of food, drinking water, and healthcare, prompting large numbers of residents to flee north. Relief agencies operating in the area report that over 70% of El Fasher’s population is in need of humanitarian assistance, noting deaths over the past three months due to hunger, thirst, and lack of medical care.

U.S. Warning

The Coordination Committee of Resistance Committees in El Fasher, a local group, said that the RSF had escalated attacks targeting residential neighborhoods and civilian shelters, even as several local and international entities welcomed the proposed truce. In a statement on Facebook, the committee said: “Heavily populated neighborhoods housing thousands of displaced people were subjected to intense artillery shelling, resulting in significant human and material losses.” It added that the shelling has continued since early Saturday, defying ceasefire calls and worsening civilian suffering, confirming that the RSF does not intend to honor international agreements and seeks to impose a military reality by force.

Meanwhile, U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations, Dorothy Shea, said during a UN Security Council session on Friday that warring parties in Sudan had been given a 72-hour deadline to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid and lift bureaucratic obstacles hindering aid access. “All crossings within Sudan must be opened, including the border with South Sudan and into the Darfur region,” she said.

She also called for humanitarian organizations to be granted visas within one week of application and emphasized holding accountable any parties obstructing aid delivery. Shea urged the UN Security Council to expedite the formation of an expert team to continue vital investigations in Sudan.

In June, the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding the lifting of the siege on El Fasher, which has been surrounded by the RSF for over a year. El Fasher is the last stronghold under Sudanese army control, while the RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemeti), controls four states in the western region of the country.