KHARTOUM, Sudan — Sudan’s army-aligned authorities are set to meet on Tuesday to consider a new ceasefire proposal from the United States, as the United Nations warned that the country’s two-year war is “spiralling out of control.”
A government source told AFP that the Security and Defence Council would convene to discuss the plan, which comes amid mounting international pressure to end the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The latest push for peace follows the RSF’s capture of El-Fasher, the last army stronghold in the Darfur region, a major escalation that has triggered mass displacement and reports of atrocities.
Residents fleeing the city described scenes of terror and brutality.
“They demanded our phones, money, everything,” said Mohamed Abdullah, 56, who fled El-Fasher on Saturday. “On the road, I saw a body left on the street that looked like it had been eaten by a dog.”
US renews mediation efforts
After spearheading talks in other regional conflicts, the Donald Trump administration has turned its attention to Sudan, with special envoy Massad Boulos holding meetings in Cairo and with the Arab League in a bid to rally support for a truce.
According to Egypt’s Foreign Ministry, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty underscored “the importance of concerted efforts to reach a humanitarian truce and pave the way for a comprehensive political process.”
The US, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates — known collectively as the Quad group — have been leading diplomatic efforts to end the 30-month conflict.
In September, they proposed a three-month humanitarian ceasefire, followed by a nine-month transition to civilian rule, but the army rejected the plan.
UN, ICC sound alarm
Speaking at a forum in Qatar, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on both sides to “come to the negotiating table” and “bring an end to this nightmare of violence.”
“The horrifying crisis in Sudan is spiralling out of control,” he said.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) also raised the alarm over reports of mass killings, sexual violence, looting, and abductions in Darfur, warning that such acts “may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
‘Do not kill children’
In Khartoum, which remains under army control, schoolchildren joined a protest on Monday against the RSF.
One child held a handwritten sign reading, “Do not kill children, do not kill women.” Another read, “The militia is killing the women of El-Fasher with no mercy.”
Both the army and RSF have faced international accusations of committing atrocities during the war, which has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions.
Observers warn that Sudan risks an effective partition along an east-west divide, with the RSF now dominating Darfur and parts of the south, while the army maintains control over the north, east, and central regions along the Nile and Red Sea.
