Sudan council to discuss US ceasefire bid amid mounting violence
Sudan's army-aligned leadership will convene to consider a US proposal for a ceasefire in the conflict with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a government source told AFP. The announcement came as the UN secretary-general urged an immediate end to what he described as a "nightmare of violence" sweeping the country.
The war, which has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions over more than two years, has recently spread into new areas. The RSF's capture of El-Fasher — the army's last stronghold in Darfur — has heightened fears of a broader humanitarian catastrophe and reports of atrocities.
Eyewitness reports and alleged abuses
People fleeing El-Fasher described scenes of fear and violence. Mohamed Abdullah, 56, told AFP that RSF fighters stopped him while he was escaping the city hours before it fell, confiscating phones and money and searching civilians. On the route to Tawila he said he saw "a body left on the street that looked like it had been eaten by a dog." Such reports have raised alarm among international monitors.
"The Security and Defence Council will hold a meeting today to discuss the US truce proposal," the anonymous army-aligned government source said, adding they were not authorised to speak publicly.
Diplomacy and international response
The United States, together with regional partners in the so-called Quad — Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia — has been pressing for a truce and a political roadmap. Washington's envoy to Africa held talks with Egyptian officials and the Arab League to push for a humanitarian pause and expedited aid delivery.
Earlier proposals by the four powers included a three-month humanitarian truce, a permanent ceasefire and a transition to civilian rule, but those offers were previously rejected by army-aligned authorities. Both sides have been accused of committing atrocities, and repeated international appeals for a ceasefire have so far gone unheeded.
Accountability concerns and regional consequences
The International Criminal Court expressed "profound alarm and deepest concern" over reports of mass killings, sexual violence, attacks on aid workers, looting and abductions during the RSF offensive, warning such acts "may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity." UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned the situation is "spiralling out of control" and urged the parties to return to negotiations immediately.
Protests in Khartoum under army control included demonstrators — and children — holding signs pleading "Do not kill children, do not kill women." Observers note the UAE has been accused by the UN of supplying arms to the RSF (an allegation the UAE denies), while the Sudanese army is reported to have received support from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Iran.
The fall of El-Fasher leaves paramilitary forces in control of all five Darfur state capitals, fuelling fears that Sudan could become effectively partitioned along east–west lines: the RSF now dominates much of Darfur and parts of the south, while the army holds territories in the north, east and central regions along the Nile and Red Sea.
What happens next: The Security and Defence Council's decision on the US proposal will be closely watched by humanitarian and diplomatic actors, who warn that any further escalation will deepen an already catastrophic crisis.
