The Sudanese military, through the assistant to its commander-in-chief, rejected international and Arab calls for a ceasefire during Ramadan, which is expected to begin tomorrow, Monday.
The assistant to the commander-in-chief of the Sudanese army, Lieutenant General Yasser Al-Atta, said at a graduation ceremony for a batch of Justice and Equality Movement forces in Kassala state on Saturday, responding to calls for a Ramadan ceasefire: “There will be no ceasefire by order of the army and the people.”
He explained that the commander-in-chief of the army made it clear to everyone who contacted him that “there is no truce with people without values, morals, or religion,” as he put it. The military official emphasized that a ceasefire is only possible if the Rapid Support Forces withdraw from the Darfur cities they have occupied, leave the Gezira, Kordofan, and exit the capital, Khartoum. He stressed that there will be no negotiations unless the conditions for a ceasefire are met.
The army’s refusal came after the UN Security Council called on Friday for a humanitarian ceasefire in Sudan on the occasion of Ramadan, along with Arab and Islamic calls to stop fighting in Sudan to allow the entry of humanitarian and medical aid for millions of Sudanese.
The conflict in Sudan has been escalating, with the Sudanese military rejecting calls for a Ramadan ceasefire, emphasizing there will be no truce with what they describe as unprincipled opponents. The military stipulates a ceasefire could only be possible if the Rapid Support Forces withdraw from occupied areas including Darfur cities, Gezira, Kordofan, and the capital, Khartoum.
The situation in Sudan has seen a deadly spiral of violence, especially in the volatile Darfur region, and Khartoum has called for the immediate termination of the UN mission there. The conflict has led to thousands of deaths or injuries, with more than a million people displaced. The UN has been struggling to provide humanitarian aid amidst the chaos, with only a fraction of the targeted assistance reaching those in need.
The fighting originated from tensions over the proposed integration of the Rapid Support Forces into the military, leading to a violent struggle for control between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. This has significantly disrupted the transition to democracy anticipated after the ousting of President Omar al-Bashir in 2019.
Two months into the conflict, the violence has particularly intensified in Darfur, reflecting ethnic dimensions and potentially amounting to war crimes. The international community, including the UN, has strongly condemned the violence and called for a ceasefire. However, there appears to be little progress towards a negotiated solution.
