RSF paramilitary faction announces 72-hour ceasefire in Sudan

(CNN) — A 72-hour truce has been established in Sudan, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary faction reported in a statement posted on Twitter early Friday morning local time.

The ceasefire is scheduled to begin at 6 a.m. local time (12 a.m. ET), RSF said.

The three-day truce coincides with the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which occurs at the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

“The truce coincides with the blessed Eid al-Fitr… to open humanitarian corridors to evacuate citizens and give them the opportunity to greet their families,” RSF said.

Earlier, the RSF on Friday accused the Sudanese army of unleashing a new wave of shelling in Khartoum.

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have yet to comment on the RSF statement.

The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, spoke this Friday with the general commander of the SAF, Abdel Fattah al Burhan, and with the general commander of the RSF, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, to urge them to agree and maintain a ceasefire.

Al Burhan stated that RSF troops will have to withdraw from all cities for a truce to take place. The RSF previously said it would not withdraw or give up its “right to defend itself.”