“End This Nightmare of Violence”: Sudan Faces Urgent Ceasefire Talks as Conflict Worsens

Sudan’s army-backed authorities are preparing to meet on Tuesday to discuss a US-proposed ceasefire as the war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) intensifies. The conflict, now over two years old, has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions. Recent escalations have pushed the violence into new regions, fueling fears of an even greater humanitarian disaster.

The United States, which has mediated several African and Middle Eastern conflicts, is urging a truce after the army rejected an earlier proposal that would have excluded both sides from a transitional political process. The latest discussions come as the RSF advances toward central Kordofan following its capture of El-Fasher, the last army stronghold in Darfur.

“The Security and Defence Council will hold a meeting today to discuss the US truce proposal,” an anonymous army source told AFP. Civilians fleeing El-Fasher reported scenes of terror. Mohamed Abdullah, 56, said RSF fighters stopped him while fleeing to Tawila, 70 kilometers west. “They demanded our phones, money, everything. They searched us thoroughly,” he said. He also described a body on the street, “that looked like it had been eaten by a dog.”

Trump’s envoy to Africa, Massad Boulos, held talks in Egypt with Sudanese and Arab League officials. He emphasized the need for a humanitarian truce and ceasefire to allow political negotiations. The Quad group; comprising the US, Egypt, UAE and Saudi Arabia, has spent months trying to secure peace. A previous plan proposing a three-month humanitarian truce, permanent ceasefire and nine-month civilian transition was rejected by Sudan’s army-aligned authorities.

Reports of atrocities in Darfur continue to mount. The International Criminal Court expressed alarm over mass killings, sexual violence, abductions, and attacks on aid workers. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the warring sides to “come to the negotiating table, bring an end to this nightmare of violence now,” warning the crisis is “spiralling out of control.”

Protests in Khartoum, under army control, highlighted the human toll. Children held signs reading, “Do not kill children, do not kill women.” Both sides have largely ignored ceasefire appeals. With El-Fasher fallen, the RSF now controls all five Darfur state capitals, while the army retains northern, eastern, and central regions along the Nile and Red Sea, raising fears Sudan may face de facto partition.