Rhino: Agencies – The Peace Government announced its agreement to open safe corridors for civilians in the city of El Obeid and its readiness to continue coordination and dialogue with the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, as well as international and regional partners, to reach urgent measures that ensure the protection of civilians and alleviate their suffering, under the supervision of the international community and the African Union.

The government, which is based in the city of Nyala in western Sudan and whose Presidential Council is headed by Rapid Support Forces Commander Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo “Hemedti,” said in a statement issued Monday, that it is following with great interest the ongoing dialogues with the international community regarding the protection of civilians, the facilitation of humanitarian aid access, and the opening of safe corridors for civilians in El Obeid, expressing its welcome of international efforts aimed at addressing the deteriorating humanitarian situation.

The statement reaffirmed the government’s commitment to facilitating and ensuring unimpeded and non-discriminatory access to humanitarian aid for those in need, in coordination with the United Nations and international and regional organizations, as well as providing the necessary guarantees for civilians wishing to leave the city to reach safe areas.

The government called on the international community to exert maximum pressure on forces affiliated with the Sudanese Army to compel them to allow civilians to leave the city freely.

The statement said: “The Council of Ministers also calls on the international community to exert maximum pressure on the army’s militias and terrorist battalions to compel them to allow civilians to leave the city freely, to stop their forced recruitment, to cease using them as human shields, and to stop attacking civilian neighborhoods.

The statement reads: “The Council of Ministers also calls on the international community to exert maximum pressure on the Army militia and its terrorist battalions to compel them to allow civilians to leave the city freely, to stop their forced recruitment, to cease using them as human shields, to stop shelling civilian neighborhoods in crossfire, and to stop displacing citizens from civilian communities.”

The Government of Peace reiterated that reaching an immediate and unconditional humanitarian ceasefire is the most effective way to protect civilians, allowing for the delivery of humanitarian aid and the evacuation of the wounded and sick, and called on the international community to intensify its efforts and exert pressure to halt hostilities and end the suffering of civilians.