On November 6, 2025, the Sudanese paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced it would accept a U.S.-led ceasefire proposal, raising faint hopes for a pause in a two-year conflict that has devastated Sudan. Yet, as explosions echoed across the capital Khartoum and drone attacks rattled the city of Atbara just a day later, the prospects for peace remain clouded by skepticism and continued violence.
The RSF, a powerful force based in Sudan’s Darfur region, has been locked in a brutal war with the Sudanese military since April 2023. The roots of the conflict trace back even further, to the collapse of Sudan’s short-lived democratic transition after a 2019 uprising and a subsequent coup in 2021 orchestrated by the two generals now leading opposing sides: army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohammed Hamdan Daglo. According to the BBC and World Health Organization, the fighting has killed at least 40,000 people—though some aid groups warn the true toll could be much higher—and displaced nearly 12 million, making it one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.
On October 30, 2025, the RSF seized el-Fasher, the last major army stronghold in western Darfur, ending an 18-month siege and marking a pivotal moment in the war. The United Nations reported that nearly 82,000 people have fled el-Fasher and its surrounding areas since October 26, seeking safety in displacement camps as violence and famine gripped the region. The RSF’s victory in el-Fasher handed them control over all five state capitals in Darfur and large swathes of the south, while the army retained dominance in the north, east, and central regions along the Nile and Red Sea (France 24).
The humanitarian consequences of the fighting have been staggering. Over 24 million Sudanese now face acute food insecurity, the World Food Program reports, with famine confirmed in el-Fasher and the town of Kadugli in South Kordofan. "We have to confirm that the main reason behind this famine is that it's man-made. We're not talking about natural disasters because there is ongoing conflict, insecurity, the inability to access food, and the lack of humanitarian corridors that ensures people in much need obtain food," AbdulHakim Elwaer, a regional representative for the Near East and North Africa, told the Associated Press. Community kitchens, a lifeline for millions, are at risk of collapse, and a survey by Islamic Relief found that 83% of families in east and west Sudan lack enough food as of early November.
The ceasefire proposal, championed by the U.S. and a coalition of Arab states known as the Quad—including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—calls for an initial three-month truce followed by a nine-month political process. Massad Boulos, a U.S. adviser for Arab and African affairs, explained that the plan aims to open humanitarian corridors and pave the way for peace talks, possibly in Jeddah. “The Rapid Support Forces looks forward to implementing the agreement and immediately commencing discussions on arrangements for a cessation of hostilities and the fundamental principles guiding the political process in Sudan, in a manner that addresses the root causes of the conflicts, ending the suffering of the Sudanese people,” the RSF said in a statement (AP).
But the Sudanese military has yet to formally respond to the truce offer. At a press conference, Sudan’s ambassador to South Africa, Osman Abufatima Adam Mohammed, expressed caution, telling the BBC that the government was wary of signing a ceasefire with a group that had repeatedly violated previous truces. A Sudanese military official told the Associated Press that the army would only agree to a truce if the RSF withdrew from civilian areas and surrendered its weapons, echoing demands from earlier, unsuccessful peace initiatives.
Meanwhile, the violence has shown little sign of abating. On November 7, residents of Khartoum reported being jolted awake by explosions near the Wadi Sayidna military base around 2:00 a.m., followed by a drone strike near a power station that caused an outage. In Atbara, about 300 kilometers north of the capital, witnesses described seeing as many as ten drones overhead before anti-aircraft defenses engaged them, with fires breaking out in the city’s east (AFP, France 24). No casualties were immediately reported, but neither the army nor the RSF commented on the attacks.
Elsewhere, the Sudan Doctors Union said the RSF shelled a hospital in the besieged city of Dilling, South Kordofan, on November 6, injuring several people and destroying the hospital’s radiology and medical imaging department. Dilling has been under RSF siege since June 2023, and the destruction of its medical facilities has further crippled a region already teetering on the brink of famine.
The human stories behind the statistics are harrowing. Othman Mohamed, a teacher who fled el-Fasher, recounted seeing bodies scattered along the road and people collapsing from exhaustion during their desperate escape. “In el-Fasher, there's nothing but beating and killing using drones in the sky that you can't see but it hits you. The drone strikes you without you feeling it,” said Rawda Mohamed, another survivor who walked for hours to reach the Al-Affad displacement camp. Mathilde Vu of the Norwegian Refugee Council described how civilians in el-Fasher survived on animal feed and rainwater, often sheltering in holes dug in the ground to avoid shelling. Those who tried to flee frequently faced attacks along the way.
The international response has been fraught with tension and accusations. The United Arab Emirates has been accused by the United Nations of supplying arms to the RSF, allegations it denies. The Sudanese army, on the other hand, is believed to have received support from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Iran. As the RSF consolidates its hold over Darfur, analysts warn that each side has incentives to block aid from reaching areas controlled by the other, further exacerbating the humanitarian disaster (France 24).
Despite the RSF’s public embrace of the ceasefire, many observers remain skeptical. Cameron Hudson of the Center for Strategic and International Studies told AFP, "Its only intent is to distract from the atrocities it is currently committing in El Fasher and position itself as more responsible than the army." Others worry that the RSF is using the ceasefire proposal as a smokescreen to prepare for new offensives, particularly toward the strategically important city of El-Obeid in the south.
With the Sudanese military focused on retaking Kordofan and the RSF consolidating gains in Darfur, the country appears to be at a dangerous crossroads. The international mediators hope to convene both sides in Jeddah for talks, but as of now, the guns have not fallen silent. For the millions of Sudanese caught in the crossfire, the wait for peace—and for the humanitarian aid that could save their lives—remains agonizingly uncertain.
As Sudan’s war grinds on, the world watches, hoping that this latest ceasefire proposal will be more than just another fleeting promise in a long and bloody conflict.
