Late Monday, General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, head of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), announced that his forces would immediately enter a three-month humanitarian truce, following international efforts led by US President Donald Trump to end the conflict that has pushed Sudan toward famine.

“In response to international efforts, chiefly that of His Excellency US President Donald Trump ... I announce a humanitarian ceasefire including a cessation of hostilities for three months,” Dagalo said. He added, “We hope the Quad countries will play their role in pushing the other side to engage with this step.”

The announcement comes after earlier hostilities, including drone strikes on army-held areas, despite the RSF previously agreeing to a peace plan proposed by the Quad, the United States, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.

Army rejects ceasefire proposal

Sudan’s army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, rejected the Quad’s plan, criticizing the UAE’s inclusion as a mediator, amid accusations that the Gulf state has supplied arms to the RSF. The UAE has denied these claims, insisting that its role is to end the war.

“No one in Sudan will accept the presence of these rebels or for them to be part of any solution in the future,” Burhan said. He also denied alleged US claims of Islamist influence in his government.

Responding to Burhan, UAE Minister of State Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy said, “In his rejection of the US Peace Plan for Sudan, and his repeated refusal to accept a ceasefire, he demonstrates consistently obstructive behavior.”

Continued violence, civilian impact

Despite the RSF ceasefire declaration, clashes persist. On Monday, the Sudanese army repelled an RSF attack on Babnousa in West Kordofan, using heavy artillery, drones, and armored vehicles. A military source reported that the RSF suffered “significant losses in personnel and equipment.”

Babnousa has been under siege since January 2024, with the army supplying remaining troops as 177,000 civilians fled, according to local relief committees.

Displacement in South Kordofan, Darfur

The UN migration agency (IOM) reported that more than 600 people fled two villages in South Kordofan, Tebsa and Afnori, due to escalating insecurity on Nov. 22. Local groups accused the RSF and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) of storming markets, looting property, killing one resident, and injuring another.

Over recent days, heavy clashes across North, West, and South Kordofan have displaced tens of thousands of civilians. Separately, the IOM reported that more than 106,000 residents fled El Fasher, North Darfur’s capital, after the RSF captured the city on Oct. 26.

Current situation and humanitarian toll

The RSF now controls all five Darfur states, while the army retains most of the remaining 13 states, including Khartoum, home to the majority of Sudan’s population.

It is worth noting that Darfur constitutes about one-fifth of the country’s territory.

Since the conflict began in April 2023 over disagreements regarding the integration of Sudan’s army and RSF forces, the World Health Organization estimates that at least 40,000 people have been killed and 12 million displaced. The humanitarian crisis continues to worsen amid ongoing insecurity and population movements. 

Read more: Exclusive: Burhan slams US envoy, rejects UAE role in Sudan mediation