ISTANBUL

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced a unilateral three-month humanitarian truce with the Sudanese army on Monday, saying the move responds to international efforts to halt violence and expand access for relief agencies.

In a recorded statement, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo said his forces and allied groups has agreed to “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire that includes a halt to all hostile actions for three months.”

Dagalo said the RSF is committed to enabling humanitarian operations by securing the movement of aid workers, ensuring unhindered access to all affected regions, protecting facilities and warehouses belonging to local and international organizations, and allowing medical and relief teams to operate freely.

He also announced RSF approval of the creation of a field monitoring mechanism to oversee the truce, under the supervision of the Quad and the African Union, and additional committees tasked with ensuring that aid reaches civilians safely.

The truce, he added, should serve as “the first step toward ending hostilities and reaching a comprehensive political solution” to Sudan’s conflict.

The RSF commander expressed hope that international support and broad Sudanese participation would pave the way for a political process that ends the war and guides the country toward a stable transition.

Dagalo said any future political track must exclude “the terrorist Islamic Movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, the National Congress Party and their affiliates (the army and allied groups),” whom he accused of bearing responsibility for “three decades of suffering” in Sudan.

There was no immediate comment from the Sudanese army on the RSF announcement.

On Sunday, Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan criticized a proposal by the Quad, which includes the US, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. He did not disclose the details of the paper he referred to.

On Sept. 12, the Quad called for an initial three-month humanitarian truce in Sudan to allow urgent humanitarian aid to enter all areas, paving the way for a permanent ceasefire.

Last week, President Donald Trump said that the US will work to end the conflict in Sudan at the request of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Since April 2023, the Sudanese army and the RSF have been locked in a war that regional and international mediations have failed to end. The conflict has killed thousands of people and displaced millions of others.