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The African Union (AU) has appealed to Sudan’s warring parties to observe a humanitarian truce during the holy month of Ramadan in March.

The appeal comes amidst growing concern over the continued escalation in fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

In a statement, the AU said it was particularly concerned over the relentless fighting in El Fasher, the capital city of Sudan’s North Darfur State, noting that the conflict had a “devastating impact on livelihood on a massive scale”.

The AU added that it was worried about the “non-stop perpetration” of war crimes and crimes against humanity, other grave violations of human rights in the country.

The bloc urged the parties to come together and establish an immediate, permanent and unconditional ceasefire and to return to negotiations, noting that there was no military solution to the conflict.

Last year, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) proposed a humanitarian ceasefire in Sudan during Ramadan. However, the Sudanese army rejected the proposal unless the RSF ended its siege on all civilian and public sites.