The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced they had agreed to a US-backed proposal for a humanitarian ceasefire in Sudan.
The announcement came less than two weeks after the paramilitary group had captured El-Fasher city from the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), tightening its grip on the entire Darfur region.
Humanitarian Truce
In a statement on Thursday, the RSF said they had agreed to a proposal from the US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE – collectively known as the Quad – for a humanitarian ceasefire in Sudan.
“In response to the aspirations and interests of the Sudanese people, the Rapid Support Forces affirms its agreement to enter into the humanitarian truce proposed by the Quad countries,” the RSF said.
They also signaled their openness to talks on ending hostilities. “The Rapid Support Forces also looks forward to implementing the agreement and immediately commencing discussions on the arrangements for a cessation of hostilities and the fundamental principles guiding the political process in Sudan,” the statement added.
The SAF has not given a final decision on the proposal after the Security and Defense Council met earlier this week, although influential leaders and allies within the army have expressed their disapproval, according to Reuters.
Quad Proposal
In mid-September, the Quad proposed a roadmap for peace in war-torn Sudan to end the conflict that has been raging for over two years.
The roadmap called for a three-month humanitarian truce, which will be followed by a permanent ceasefire. After that, a 9-month transition process should begin “to meet the aspirations of the Sudanese people towards smoothly establishing an independent, civilian-led government with broad-based legitimacy and accountability.”
Moreover, it stressed that Sudanese people must decide the country’s future governance through “an inclusive and transparent transition process, not controlled by any warring party.”
The proposal also stated that the Muslim Brotherhood or affiliated extremist groups cannot have any role in Sudan’s future. Furthermore, it called for an end to external military support to the conflict parties as an essential means to end the conflict.
War in Sudan
The war in Sudan broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF, triggering “the world’s most devastating humanitarian and displacement crisis,” according to the UN.
The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced over 14 million inside Sudan and to neighboring countries, and pushed parts of the country into famine amid cholera outbreaks.
Moreover, the war has brought Sudan closer to effective partition, as the SAF controls the center, north and east, while the RSF holds the entire Darfur region and parts of the south, with each side declaring a government.
Although both the SAF and RSF have agreed to several ceasefire proposals, none of them have succeeded.
El-Fasher’s Atrocities
After an 18-month siege and fierce battles, the RSF declared on October 23, 2025 that it had taken control of El-Fasher after capturing the 6th Infantry Division command, SAF’s main base in North Darfur state.
Reports and local testimonies indicated that the RSF has unleashed heinous attacks against civilians, killing hundreds while tens of thousands remain trapped in the city or have disappeared as they tried to escape.
The International Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), confirmed famine in El-Fasher and the town of Kadugli, in the southern South Kordofan province, warning that more than 21 million people in Sudan are facing high levels of acute food insecurity, in the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
Furthermore, the UN warned against the atrocities committed by the RSF, calling for accountability for the perpetrators. Since the RSF seized El-Fasher, “we have received horrendous accounts of summary executions, mass killings, rapes, attacks against humanitarian workers, looting, abductions and forced displacement,” the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) said.
Meanwhile, the ICC Office of the Prosecutor said on Monday it was collecting evidence of the RSF’s alleged mass killings, rapes and other crimes in El-Fasher.
“These atrocities are part of a broader pattern of violence that has afflicted the entire Darfur region since April 2023. Such acts, if substantiated, may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute,” it said in a statement.
