RSF announces two-day ceasefire in Sudan during Eid al-Adha

GOOBJOOG NEWS | KHARTOUM: Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamadan “Hemedti” Dagalo has announced a two-day ceasefire as muslims mark Eid al-Adha.

“We are declaring a unilateral ceasefire, except for self-defence situations, on the eve of Eid and on the day of Eid al-Adha,” Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo announced on Monday in a statement posted on Facebook.

He said that he hoped the Eid holiday will provide an opportunity for the Sudanese people to seek reconciliation saying the worsening humanitarian condition in the country caused by war is devastating to the civilian population.

The Sudanese army has yet to comment on a potential ceasefire.

Eid al-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice, is one of the most important Muslim holidays, marking the culmination of the annual Hajj (pilgrimage) in Saudi Arabia.

Sudan has been ravaged by fighting between the army and the RSF since mid-April in a conflict that has killed at least 2,000 civilians and injured thousands more.

Khartoum and el-Geneina have been the worst affected by the war that broke out on April 15, though tensions and clashes escalated last week in other parts of Darfur and in Kordofan in the south.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates the conflict has displaced almost two million people internally, and more than 600,000 have fled to neighbouring countries.