Commander of the paramilitary force hopes the holiday would provide an opportunity for reconciliation among the Sudanese people.

“We are declaring a unilateral ceasefire, except for self-defence situations, on the eve of Eid and on the day of Eid al-Adha,” Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo said on Monday in an audio recording posted on Facebook.

Hemedti expressed hope the Eid holiday would provide an opportunity for reconciliation among the Sudanese people.

Acknowledging the challenging humanitarian conditions caused by the war, he said: “We hope to emerge from the war more united and stronger.”

The Sudanese army has yet to comment on a potential ceasefire.

Eid al-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice, is one of the most important Muslim holidays, marking the culmination of the annual Hajj (pilgrimage) in Saudi Arabia.

Thousands killed, millions displaced

Sudan has been ravaged by fighting between the army and the RSF since mid-April in a conflict that has killed at least 2,000 civilians and injured thousands more.

Khartoum and el-Geneina have been the worst affected by the war that broke out on April 15, though tensions and clashes escalated last week in other parts of Darfur and in Kordofan in the south.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates the conflict has displaced almost two million people internally, and more than 600,000 have fled to neighbouring countries.

A record 25 million people – more than half the country’s population – are in need of aid and protection, according to the United Nations, which said it has received only a fraction of the necessary funding.

Several ceasefire initiatives were announced during the months-old conflict. However, the warring parties accused each other of violating the truce agreements.

In recent days, fighting has intensified after a series of ceasefire deals agreed at talks led by the United States and Saudi Arabia in Jeddah failed to stick.