Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has agreed to a humanitarian truce proposal advanced by the diplomatic grouping known as the Quad mechanism, in what could represent a step towards easing hostilities in parts of the war-torn country.

The RSF announced its position in a statement on Thursday (November 6), saying it supported the framework of the ceasefire initiative. The Quad mechanism, which has previously been involved in mediation efforts on Sudan, comprises the US, UK, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The truce proposal is aimed at enabling humanitarian access, medical evacuations and civilian protection, according to diplomatic summaries circulated in recent weeks.

Sudan's military-led government, however, has not yet signed on to it. Sudan's chargé d'affaires in Nairobi, Mohamed Osman Akasha, told the BBC on Wednesday that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) would agree to stop the fighting only if the RSF was dismantled, surrendered its weapons – and its leader held accountable.

“malnutrition, disease and violence”

Alarmed by reports and evidence of mass killings, rapes and other atrocities during the fall of El Fasher in Sudan to the RSF – and the prospect of famine in the Darfur region and beyond – the UN Human Rights Council plans to hold an emergency session on the situation in El Fasher on November 14. UN Secretary General António Guterres said the war was “spiralling out of control” with “people are dying of malnutrition, disease and violence.”

Fighting in Sudan’s Darfur region intensified following the RSF takeover on October 26 of El Fasher, a city under siege for more than a year, and its capture has disrupted remaining relief corridors into North Darfur.

Satellite imagery reviewed by the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab indicated burned residential areas and disturbed ground consistent with mass graves in multiple locations around the city – consistent with witness reports to humanitarian groups.

The imagery also shows damage at the hands of the RSF to medical facilities, including the vicinity of Al-Saudi Maternity Hospital, where the World Health Organization (WHO) reported attacks that resulted in a large number of casualties.

“The scale of killing [in El Fasher] is so shocking that pools of what may be blood are observable from space, as captured by satellite imagery analysis. An estimated 2,000 civilians were killed within the first 48 hours of the [RSF] takeover alone,” Foreign Policy magazine wrote, while the Sudan Doctors Network put the death toll at 1,500.

Now the RSF – which denies its foot soldiers committed mass killings and rejects allegations of targeted ethnic violence, but admitted that "violations" were committed by individuals and claims to have arrested some perpetrators – has agreed to the Quad proposal for a three-month humanitarian ceasefire. But with caveats.

The paramilitary rebel group said it looks forward to “implementing the agreement and immediately commencing discussions on the arrangements for a cessation of hostilities and the fundamental principles guiding the political process in Sudan” while calling for addressing the conflict’s root causes and establishing “a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace.”

extortion, violence, and no shelter

The situation in greater Darfur remains highly unstable, with the territorial balance split: the RSF controls much of the region, while the SAF holds territory in central and eastern Sudan. Humanitarian agencies continue to warn of rapidly deteriorating conditions and the risk of further displacement.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that over 62,000 civilians fled El Fasher immediately following the RSF advance. However, many others have been unable to leave due to insecurity and checkpoints on exit routes.

Mathilde Vu, the Sudan advocacy manager for the Norwegian Refugee Council, told Al Jazeera that many civilians are reportedly being detained as they flee and asked to pay a “transportation fee” to reach Tawila. The IOM has said displacement routes are marked by extortion, violence, and lack of shelter.

The conflict, which began in April 2023, has now displaced around 12mn people – nearly a quarter of the country’s population –  according to UNHCR. Many fled to neighbouring Chad, South Sudan or Egypt, but countless others remain internally displaced across Darfur and the capital, Khartoum.

Human rights organisations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have documented allegations of widespread killings, sexual violence, and forced disappearances in Darfur throughout the war. Both warring parties have been accused of violating international humanitarian law.

famine risk

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), access to aid in El Fasher has been severely restricted for months, leaving residents facing acute food shortages. OCHA reported that many families have been surviving on limited grain substitutes and non-standard food sources due to lack of assistance.

The latest report of the Integrated Food Security Phase network (IPC), a global food security monitor, classified famine conditions in the western Darfur city, and Kadugli in South Kordofan state. It projects a famine risk in another 20 areas across greater Darfur and greater Kordofan.

Diplomatic mediation efforts led by the African Union, United States, Saudi Arabia, and regional authorities have not achieved a lasting ceasefire. The UN Security Council has called for unhindered humanitarian access, though Council members remain divided on potential further action.

Envoys from the Quad and African regional bodies have indicated that monitoring, sequencing of withdrawals, and guarantees for civilian safety remain central to any workable truce.