Germany calls for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan's El-Fasher

BERLIN

Germany on Monday called for an immediate ceasefire in the besieged city of El-Fasher in western Sudan.

The Foreign Ministry expressed grave concern about the situation in a social media post, citing reports of significant civilian deaths as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) pushed into the city.

"We join United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher in calling for an immediate ceasefire, protection and safe passage for civilians, and unimpeded humanitarian access," the ministry said, referring to Fletcher's earlier statement.

“El Fasher is at breaking point. People are trapped and fighting is advancing further into the city. Ceasefire now, in El Fasher, in Darfur and throughout Sudan,” Fletcher said in a statement he posted on social media.

Heavy clashes erupted between the rebel group and the Sudanese army in the city on Sunday, according to the civilian-led El-Fasher Resistance Committees.

El-Fasher has witnessed fierce fighting for weeks between the army and the RSF, following a multi-front assault by the paramilitary group, which has surrounded the city from five directions in an attempt to seize control of it due to its strategic importance.

The RSF has been besieging El-Fasher since May 2024, as the Sudanese army seeks to break the siege of the city, which serves as the humanitarian operations center for the five Darfur states.

The army and the RSF have been fighting a civil war since April 2023, which has killed thousands of people and displaced millions of others.