Sudan army general rules out Ramadan truce unless RSF leaves civilian sites

In Dubai, a senior Sudanese armed forces General named Yasser al-Atta stated that there would be no truce in Sudan during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan unless the paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) vacates the homes and locations of civilians. This announcement came after the United Nations Security Council appealed for a ceasefire during Ramadan, which was set to begin that week. The RSF, in response, expressed their support for the ceasefire call.

Al-Atta’s statement, released via the army’s official Telegram channel, referenced recent military progress made by the army in Omdurman, a region within Sudan’s capital city. He emphasized that a Ramadan ceasefire could only occur if the RSF honored a promise made in May of the previous year during talks mediated by Saudi Arabia and the United States in Jeddah. This commitment involved the withdrawal of the RSF from civilian residences and public spaces.

Additionally, the statement highlighted the need for Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly referred to as Hemedti and the leader of the RSF, to have no part in Sudan’s upcoming political or military future. The conflict between Sudan’s army and the RSF began in mid-April of 2023 due to tensions surrounding a transition to civilian governance. Both factions collaborated on a coup in 2021, disrupting a prior transition effort after the removal of dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019.

Throughout much of the conflict, the army has faced military setbacks, with the RSF controlling significant portions of the capital early on in the fighting. The United Nations has reported that nearly half of Sudan’s population, approximately 25 million individuals, require humanitarian assistance, with 8 million being displaced and food scarcity on the rise. The U.S. government has accused both sides of committing war crimes.

Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, has also urged for a truce to be observed during Ramadan. Sudan’s representative to the U.N. Security Council mentioned that the head of the army and ruling council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, acknowledged Guterres’ plea but questioned its feasibility. The Sudanese foreign ministry, aligned with the armed forces, asserted that the RSF must evacuate areas such as El Gezira and Sennar states, along with various cities in Darfur, the RSF’s primary base, for any ceasefire initiative to be successful.

Reported by Khalid Abdelaziz, Clauda Tanios, and Aidan Lewis, the article was edited by Louise Heavens and Sharon Singleton.