General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan’s army chief, has declared a “unilateral” ceasefire on the first day of the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday.
Burhan also urged young men to defend their country at home or by joining the armed forces.
“The conspiracy requires everyone to be awake and ready to respond to the existential threats to our country,” Burhan said during his speech.
The ceasefire comes after General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the head of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), also known as “Hemedti,” declared a two-day “unilateral” ceasefire.
“We are declaring a unilateral ceasefire, except for self-defence situations, on the eve of Eid and on the day of Eid al-Adha,” the RSF chief said on Monday in an audio recording posted on Facebook.
Hemedti expressed hope the Eid holiday would provide an opportunity for reconciliation among the Sudanese people.
Acknowledging the challenging humanitarian conditions caused by the war, he said, “We hope to emerge from the war more united and stronger.”
