Sudan's Paramilitary RSF Agrees to 72-Hour Ceasefire on Humanitarian Grounds

MOSCOW (Sputnik/Prime) - Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said it had agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire on humanitarian grounds starting 6:00 a.m. local time (04:00 GMT) on Friday.

On Thursday, US State Secretary Antony Blinken spoke with Abdel Fattah al Burhan, the commander of the Sudanese military, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the commander of the RSF, and urged the parties to the conflict in Sudan to uphold a nationwide ceasefire until the end of Islamic holiday Eid al-Fitr on April 23.

"The truce coincides with the blessed Eid Al-Fitr ... to open humanitarian corridors to evacuate citizens and give them the opportunity to greet their families," the RSF said in a statement, as quoted by US media.

Earlier, Sudan's military spokesman Gen Brigadier Nabil Abdallah told Sputnik that the nation's armed forces did not see an option for a potential diplomatic solution to the ongoing conflict with the RSF.

"The armed forces have constantly stated that the RSF are a rebellious force operating outside the law and committing atrocities that cannot be overlooked," Abdallah said. "They started fighting and were preparing for it from the very beginning. We were forced to resolve the issue by military means and announced that this would stop the shooting."

The spokesperson further relayed that the "Libyan scenario" would not unfold so long as the Sudanese military remains a factor.

Clashes between the Sudanese regular army and the RSF broke out on Saturday in Sudan's capital of Khartoum and elsewhere in the country.

Government forces accused the RSF of mutiny and launched airstrikes against their bases. Later, Abdel Fattah Burhan, the head of the Sudanese military, issued a decree disbanding the RSF.