UAE calls for humanitarian ceasefire in Sudan during holy month of Ramadan

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday proposed a humanitarian ceasefire in war-torn Sudan during the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins in early March.

The suggestion came during a speech by the UAE's Minister of State Shakhboot bin Nahyan Al Nahyan at a high-level conference on Sudan, convened in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.

The Emirati official said the conference was held in collaboration with Ethiopia, the African Union (AU), and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to address the situation in Sudan ahead of the approaching month of Ramadan.

"We urge the warring parties to honor this sacred period by implementing a humanitarian ceasefire to ensure the safe, urgent, and unhindered access of essential humanitarian aid to those most in need, in particular children, the elderly, and women," he said.

At the conference, he also announced providing "an additional $200 million of humanitarian aid to Sudan, bringing the total contribution to $600.4 million since the outbreak of the conflict in April 2023.

None of the warring parties in Sudan have so far commented on the Emirati proposal.

The Sudanese army and its rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) group have been fighting a war since mid-April 2023 that has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced 14 million, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US universities, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000.

International and UN calls for an end to the war are mounting, warning of an impending humanitarian catastrophe as millions face famine and death due to food shortages. The conflict has spread to 13 of Sudan's 18 states.