Sudan's Security and Defense Council declared a general mobilization of the armed forces on Tuesday, urging citizens to support the army in its battle against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), following the paramilitary group's seizure of El-Fasher, capital of North Darfur.
The statement was released after an emergency meeting in Khartoum held to discuss the 3-month-truce proposal based on the Quad plan, a diplomatic initiative by the UAE, US, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt originally announced on Sept. 12.
The Security and Defense Council said it was assessing measures to prevent a repeat of “the Fasher massacre,” currently under investigation by the ICC. In their statement, the council paid tribute to the “martyrs of the dignity battle” and pledged state support for the families of the dead and missing.
Describing the RSF as “the terrorist Dagalo militia,” the council accused it of committing “grave and unprecedented violations” and criticized the international community's failure to enforce arms embargoes on Darfur. The statement called for continued mobilization to confront the RSF and its “mercenaries.”
Defense Minister Hassan Kabroon Kayan declared that the army would continue fighting, stating that “no ceasefire will be offered” unless the RSF withdraws from all cities and returns to designated military camps.
In a televised address, Kabroon said, “Preparations for the Sudanese people's battle are ongoing...readiness for war is our national right.”
The council also reviewed the deteriorating humanitarian conditions and international proposals for a ceasefire. It expressed appreciation for “sincere efforts” to ease civilian suffering and thanked “the United States government and advisor Masad Boulos” for their initiatives.
US presidential advisor on Middle East affairs Masad Boulos had said Monday, during a visit to Cairo, that both the Sudanese army and the RSF had initially agreed “in principle” to a three-month truce.
Later, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that Washington is working with other countries to help end the conflict, following reports of mass killings during the RSF's capture of El-Fasher.
“The United States is actively engaged in efforts to bring about a peaceful resolution to the terrible conflict in Sudan,” Leavitt said at a press conference. “We want to see this conflict come to a peaceful end, just as we have with so many others, but the reality is it’s a very complicated situation on the ground right now.”
The RSF announced its takeover of the city on Oct. 26 after intense fighting, culminating in the capture of the Sixth Infantry Division headquarters—the Sudanese army's last major foothold in the area. Army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan acknowledged his forces' withdrawal the next day, saying this step was intended “to avoid further bloodshed.”
Attention has now shifted to central Sudan, where RSF forces have already made good on their earlier threats. On Wednesday, RSF forces attacked a funeral in Al-Ubbayid by drone, north of Kordofan, killing 40 people. This escalation could widen the war, which has already killed tens of thousands and displaced millions inside and outside the country over the past two years.
The El-Fasher Resistance Committee previously accused RSF fighters of executing wounded civilians inside the Saudi hospital—the last partially functioning medical facility in the city. The WHO later confirmed the killing of 460 patients and medical personnel.
Regional and international actors, as well as UN agencies and local reports, have accused the RSF of committing mass atrocities and ethnic killings in El-Fasher after more than 18 months of siege before its fall to the militia forces.
