Sudan: Ceasefire extended after fighting in the capital

Status: 07:22 AM| Reading time: 2 minutes

IIn Sudan, the warring parties agreed on Monday to extend the ceasefire for five days. Saudi Arabia and the United States, acting as mediators, announced that a previously agreed ceasefire until Monday evening had not been fully complied with, but made it possible to deliver aid to about two million people. The extension should make room for more humanitarian aid and talks on a longer-term ceasefire.

Heavy fighting broke out in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, before the week-long ceasefire expired on Monday. Local residents reported constant clashes between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

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Fighting continued from Sunday to Monday in the south and west of Omdurman, one of the three cities in the capital Khartoum region. On the other side of the Nile, residents in the south of the capital reported clashes late Sunday night.

The two sides agreed to a week-long cease-fire the day before last, which was monitored by the United States and Saudi Arabia. On Sunday, both countries accused both the army and the RSF of repeatedly violating the ceasefire. Thus, parties to the conflict prevented access to aid and the restoration of critical services such as telecommunications.

A bloody struggle for power between the army and the militias

The power struggle between the army and the RSF broke out on April 15. Hundreds have been killed since then. Nearly 1.4 million people have been displaced from their homes, and hundreds of thousands have fled to neighboring countries. Observers fear destabilization of the entire region.

Meanwhile, the United Nations has warned of a growing food emergency not only in Sudan, but also in Burkina Faso and Mali, as well as in Haiti due to restrictions on the movement of people and goods. The four countries are now on the highest alert level, as was already the case in Afghanistan, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen. In some cases, there is already a risk of starvation or slipping into “catastrophic conditions”. The United Nations report warns of the possibility of an extension of the conflict in Sudan.

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