Sudanese army rejects UAE proposal for Ramadan ceasefire

An Emirati official said his country called on Tuesday for a ceasefire in Sudan during the upcoming month of Ramadan, but the Sudanese army rejected the call, as the country's civil war approaches its second year.

The military considers the UAE an aggressor in the war and accuses it of arming the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, allegations that UN experts and US lawmakers have said are credible. The UAE denies the charges.

The war in Sudan has caused the world's largest humanitarian disaster, displacing more than 12 million people, pushing half the population into hunger and exacerbating the fragmentation of this poor country.

“As the holy month of Ramadan approaches, a month of mercy and compassion, the UAE calls on all parties to respect this sacred period by observing a humanitarian ceasefire,” the Emirati official said.

“We do not accept a ceasefire during Ramadan unless the siege is lifted from all besieged cities and areas,” a senior Sudanese military source told Reuters when asked for comment.

The Rapid Support Forces are currently launching attacks on the city of El Fasher, the last remaining stronghold of the army in the Darfur region, but they are losing ground to the army in the capital, Khartoum.

The paramilitary forces did not respond to a request for comment.

In addition to the ceasefire, the Emirati official said that his country intends to hold a summit on Friday in Addis Ababa in cooperation with the African Union with the aim of attracting the necessary funding for humanitarian efforts in Sudan, adding that it will announce funding worth $200 million.

The Sudanese government on Monday rejected the idea of the summit, with Malik Agar, deputy chairman of the Sovereignty Council, saying it represented “a crime and a full-fledged aggression against an African country seeking to protect its territory and sovereignty,” given the UAE’s reported involvement in the war.

“Unfortunately, the Sudanese army seeks to distort the UAE’s role by falsifying facts… These allegations will not distract the UAE from its primary goal of promoting stability,” the Emirati official said.

Reuters