Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces said Thursday they accepted a U.S. proposal for a humanitarian cease-fire, offering a potential pause in the conflict that has raged since April 2023.
"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 in a statement, referring to the United States, Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
The military-aligned government did not immediately comment on the RSF's announcement.
Earlier in the day, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had said his forces were still "striving for the defeat of the enemy."
"Soon, we will avenge those who have been killed and abused... in all the regions attacked by the rebels," he said, in a televised address.
The government had indicated earlier this week that it would press on with the war following an internal meeting on a ceasefire proposal.
A senior Saudi official told AFP on Thursday that the mediators' plan outlined a "three-month humanitarian truce in all Sudan."
During the cease-fire, efforts would be made to bring the RSF and army together for talks in Jeddah on a permanent peace deal, he added, without offering further details.
In its statement, the RSF said the ceasefire was needed "to address the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of the war and to enhance the protection of civilians", as well as to "ensure the urgent delivery of humanitarian assistance."
The paramilitaries have been accused of committing widespread atrocities after seizing El-Fasher following an 18-month siege marked by starvation and bombardments.
No details of the U.S. truce proposal have been made public.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday that Washington wanted "to see this conflict come to a peaceful end, just as we have with so many others, but the reality is it's a very complicated situation on the ground right now".
She said the United States was "actively engaged" in seeking a peace deal alongside Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The war in Sudan, which has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions more over the past two years, has spread to new areas in recent days, sparking fears of an even greater humanitarian catastrophe.
The war erupted in April 2023 when the Sudanese army and the RSF, then partners in power, clashed over plans to integrate their forces.
