Prior to a major Muslim holiday, the commander of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has announced a two-day “unilateral” ceasefire in its conflict with the army.
In an audio clip posted on Facebook on Monday, Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo announced that “we are declaring a unilateral ceasefire, except for self-defence situations on the eve of Eid and on the day of Eid al-Adha”.
Hemedti expressed the hope that the occasion of the Eid holiday would allow the Sudanese people to come together.
He acknowledged the difficult humanitarian conditions brought on by the conflict and added, “We hope to emerge from the conflict more united and stronger. ”
Regarding a potential ceasefire, the army of Sudan has not yet made any remarks.
As the culmination of the yearly Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, Eid al-Adha, also known as the Festival of Sacrifice, is one of the most significant Muslim holidays.
Since the middle of April, Sudan has been devastated by fighting between the army and the RSF, which has resulted in at least 2,000 civilian deaths and numerous other injuries.
Over 600,000 people are believed to have fled to nearby countries, according to estimates from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the conflict has internally displaced nearly two million people.
The United Nations estimates that more than half of the population of the country, or a record 25 million people, need assistance and protection but that it has only received a small portion of the funding required.
Source-Aljazeera
