Paramilitary groups at war with Sudanese military back Ramadan ceasefire

Sudanese paramilitary groups fighting the country’s military in nearly a year of devastating conflict approved a United Nations Security Council resolution on Saturday calling for a ceasefire during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The group, known as the Rapid Support Forces, said in a statement that it hoped the resolution adopted by the U.N. Security Council on Friday would help provide humanitarian aid to millions of Sudanese caught in the fighting in the northeast African country.

Ramadan is expected to begin on or about Monday, during which adult Muslims must fast from dawn to sunset, depending on the appearance of the new moon.

Médecins Sans Frontières said it viewed the initiative as an “important opportunity” for the warring parties to initiate negotiations to find a political solution to the conflict.

“We see this as an important opportunity to launch serious discussions that can promote a political path. This path must ultimately lead to a lasting ceasefire, promote security and stability, and reach substantive solutions that address the fundamental issues of the historic crisis in Sudan,” it said.

Sudan’s military has backed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ call for a Ramadan ceasefire. In his appeal on Thursday, Guterres warned that the conflict threatened Sudan’s unity and “could trigger serious regional instability.”

Sudan descended into chaos last April amid long-standing tensions between the Sudanese army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary forces commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. Street fighting broke out in the capital Khartoum. Fighting broke out during Ramadan last year.

The fighting spread to other parts of the country, particularly urban areas, but took on a different form in Sudan’s West Darfur region, with predominantly Arab Rapid Support Forces carrying out brutal attacks on African-descendant civilians. Thousands were killed.

The 15 members of the Security Council voted overwhelmingly in favor of the British-drafted ceasefire resolution, with 14 countries supporting it and only Russia abstaining from the vote. The resolution expressed “serious concern at the spreading violence and the catastrophic and deteriorating humanitarian situation, including crisis levels or, worse, severe food insecurity, particularly in Darfur.”

Cindy McCain, the head of the World Food Program, said this week that the conflict has the potential to create the world’s worst hunger crisis, with about 18 million people across Sudan facing severe hunger, including 5 million.

The conflict has driven more than 10 million people from their homes to safer areas within Sudan or neighboring countries, according to U.N. agencies. South Sudan hosts 600,000 people fleeing fighting in Sudan.