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

Senior Sudanese armed forces general Yasser al-Atta declared on Sunday that there would be no truce in the country during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan unless the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) group left civilians’ homes and places of business.

The declaration comes in response to the UN Security Council’s request for a ceasefire during this week’s Ramadan. The paramilitary RSF declared its approval of the ceasefire request.

Atta mentioned recent military victories by the army in Omdurman, a portion of Sudan’s larger capital, in his statement, which was released on the army’s official Telegram channel.

It stated that there would be no Ramadan truce until the RSF complied with a pledge made in May of last year in Jeddah during negotiations mediated by the United States and Saudi Arabia to leave civilian homes and public spaces.

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Additionally, it stated that Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the RSF commander also known as Hemedti, had no place in Sudan’s future armed forces or politics.

In mid-April 2023, disagreements over a plan for the country’s transition to civilian government led to the outbreak of war between the RSF and the Sudanese army. The two groups orchestrated a coup in 2021 that halted an earlier change when the despotic former leader was overthrown in 2019.

For the most part of the battle, the army has been militarily behind. In the early days of warfare, the RSF controlled sizable portions of the capital.

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Nearly 25 million people, or half of Sudan’s population, according to the U.N., require aid; 8 million have fled their homes; and the number of hungry people is growing. According to Washington, war crimes have been perpetrated by the belligerents.

A truce during Ramadan has also been advocated by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The ambassador of Sudan to the United Nations stated before the security council on Thursday that while Guterres’ request was applauded, the head of the army and ruling council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, was unsure of how it could be carried out.

Sudan’s foreign ministry, which supports the armed forces, stated that the RSF would have to leave its stronghold of El Gezira and Sennar states, as well as a number of cities in Darfur, in order for any ceasefire request to be granted.