Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has expressed readiness for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in discussions with the Sudanese army. This announcement follows the signing of the Addis Ababa declaration by the force led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo in collaboration with the Taqadum civilian coalition on Tuesday. The Addis Ababa Declaration is aimed at providing a foundation for ongoing negotiations and a political resolution to the nine-month-long war, currently causing the world’s largest displacement crisis and extensive damage to Sudan’s infrastructure. The Horn of Africa nation is now also grappling with the looming threat of famine.
Despite diplomatic efforts by the United States and Saudi Arabia to bring about a resolution through negotiations, they have proven unsuccessful thus far, and previous agreements designed to protect civilians have not been honored. The conflict originated from a dispute between Sudan’s army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his former deputy and RSF leader, Hamdan Dagalo, both of whom assumed power in 2019 after the ousting of Omar al-Bashir.
