U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Sudan during a news conference on Friday, Dec. 20. The call for a halt in hostilities between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) comes as fighting has reportedly intensified in the country’s central Kordofan region.
Speaking to reporters, Rubio urged both parties to use the new year as an opportunity to cease fighting and permit the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians.
“What’s happening there is horrifying, it’s atrocious,” Rubio said, adding that external support for the warring parties is a critical factor sustaining the conflict. “All these weapons are acquired from abroad. They have to come from somewhere else and they have to come through somewhere else.”
The diplomatic initiative follows a meeting in late November between U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. U.S. special envoy Massad Boulos also recently concluded discussions with officials in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. According to conflict monitors, the UAE has provided material support to the RSF, an allegation that officials in Abu Dhabi have denied. The SAF reportedly maintains ties with Turkiye, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.
Recent reports indicate a shift in the conflict toward the Kordofan region. The Sudan Doctors Network, a medical professional group, stated that shelling by RSF and allied fighters in the residential areas of Dilling killed at least 16 civilians, including women and children.
The International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) chief of mission in Sudan, Mohamed Refaat, said that more than half a million people could be affected if fighting reaches El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan and a key transportation hub.
On Dec. 13, six Bangladeshi peacekeepers were killed when drones struck their base in Kadugli, South Kordofan. The United Nations Security Council issued a statement on Friday condemning the incident as a “heinous and deliberate” attack that may constitute war crimes.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Friday that attacks on medical facilities in Sudan this year have accounted for more than 80 percent of all deaths from such strikes globally. The agency said it has verified 201 attacks on healthcare premises since the conflict began in April 2023, resulting in 1,858 deaths.
The United Nations has described the situation in Sudan as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with the conflict resulting in more than 100,000 deaths and the displacement of 14 million people. Both the SAF and the RSF have been accused of war crimes by international bodies. The RSF also faces allegations of genocide in the Darfur region.
