UN chief urges peace as Sudan’s army-backed council meets on US truce proposal

Sudan's army-backed authorities were due to meet yesterday to discuss a US proposal for a ceasefire in the war with the paramilitary, a government source told AFP, as the UN chief called for an end to the "nightmare of violence".

The war, which has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions more over the past two years, has spread to new areas of Sudan in recent days, sparking fears of an even graver humanitarian catastrophe.

After mediating in other conflicts in Africa and the Middle East in recent months, the US administration under Donald Trump is pushing for a ceasefire in Sudan.

The army-aligned authorities had rejected an earlier truce proposal under which both they and the paramilitaries they are fighting would be excluded from a transitional political process.

The latest discussions follow an escalation on the ground, with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) appearing to prepare an assault on the central Kordofan region after it captured El-Fasher, the last army stronghold in Darfur region.

"The Security and Defence Council will hold a meeting today to discuss the US truce proposal," the army-aligned government source said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief the media.

People forced to flee El-Fasher have described to AFP scenes of fear and violence.