Sudanese Paramilitary Group Proposes New 72-Hour Ceasefire to Maintain Humanitarian Corridors

The Sudanese paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has unilaterally proposed a new 72-hour ceasefire to maintain open humanitarian corridors and facilitate the evacuation of civilians. “In response to international, regional and local appeals, we announce the extension of the humanitarian ceasefire by 72 hours, starting at midnight” local time (10:00 p.m. in Lisbon), the group said in a statement posted on Twitter, according to the Spanish news agency Efe.

This new extension of the ceasefire, the third 72-hour ceasefire since the first was announced on the 24th, aims to “open humanitarian corridors and facilitate the movement of citizens and residents, allowing them to meet their needs and access safe areas,” the military group added.

The Sudanese Army has not yet responded to this announcement, although it sent a special envoy to Saudi Arabia today to meet with the country’s authorities, who have been acting as mediators in the conflict.

Sudan entered its 16th consecutive day of clashes between the army and RSF paramilitaries, a conflict that has forced around 50,000 Sudanese to move to safer areas in the country or seek refuge in neighboring nations such as South Sudan, Egypt or Chad, and has already claimed about 530 lives and left more than 4,500 injured.

The two parties involved in the conflict began a 72-hour ceasefire on Friday, mediated by the United States and Saudi Arabia, to facilitate the evacuation of foreigners from Sudan and open safe corridors for the entry of humanitarian aid.

In recent days, despite announced ceasefires, there have been low-intensity clashes.

The large-scale fighting that began two weeks ago followed weeks of tension over security force reform in negotiations for a new transitional government, and pits General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s army against the RSF, loyal to General Mohamed Hamdane Daglo, also known as “Hemedti.”

Both forces were behind the joint coup that overthrew Sudan’s transitional government in October 2021.