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A 72-hour ceasefire between Sudan’s warring generals went into effect on Sunday to allow much-needed aid to be delivered to the country, on the eve of a humanitarian conference.
The army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has been fighting since April 15 with paramilitary forces led by his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, after a bitter struggle for power erupted between them.
Multiple truces were agreed upon and broken in a war that has killed more than 2,000 people and displaced more than two million from their homes, including at least 528,000 who have fled abroad.
The latest ceasefire went into effect at 6 a.m. (0400 GMT), with mediators saying both sides agreed to refrain from attacks and allow free movement and the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America announce the agreement of representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces on a cease-fire throughout Sudan for a period of 72 hours. .
Witnesses in Khartoum said the situation was “calm”.
“We want a complete ceasefire,” said Sami Omar, who lives in Omdurman, Khartoum.
“The truce is not enough for us to return to our lives. They may stop fighting, but the RSF will not leave the houses (they occupy) and passing through the checkpoints is difficult.”
On Monday, the United Nations will host an international donors’ conference for Sudan in the Swiss city of Geneva.
– Airstrikes intensify –
Clashes escalated before the two sides pledged, in separate statements on Saturday night, to respect the truce.
The RSF said it would abide by the cessation of hostilities, while the army said “Although we are committed to the ceasefire, we will respond firmly to any violations committed by the rebels.”
On Saturday, Saudi Arabia threatened to “postpone” negotiations on its territory between the two sides “in the event that the two parties do not respect the 72-hour ceasefire.”
The talks, which began weeks ago, have so far failed to produce any concrete agreement.
On Saturday, warplanes bombed residential neighborhoods in Khartoum, killing “17 civilians, including five children,” according to the Citizens Support Committee, and Agence France-Presse was unable to independently confirm these figures.
The Rapid Support Forces accused the army of targeting residential areas and claimed to have shot down a fighter plane.
A video posted online by the paramilitary forces showed destroyed homes and blankets covering what appeared to be bodies.
Since the fighting began, the death toll across Sudan has surpassed 2,000, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project.
The United Nations says 25 million people – more than half the population of the northeastern African country – depend on humanitarian aid.
– ‘Ominous reminder’ –
Intense fighting has rocked the western region of Darfur, with the US saying that up to 1,100 people have been killed in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur state alone.
Charity Doctors Without Borders has issued an urgent appeal for more family and staff across the border in Chad, where it says more than 600 patients – most with gunshot wounds – have arrived.
Chadian leader General Mohamed Idriss Deby Itno visited the border town of Adre to assess the scale of “the influx of refugees and ensure the effective closure of the border with Sudan,” according to his office.
The International Organization for Migration says at least 149,000 people have fled Darfur to Chad, among the nearly 2.2 million displaced by the fighting.
The US has attributed this week’s atrocities in Darfur “primarily” to the RSF and said the alleged rights abuses were an “ominous reminder” of past genocide in the region.
A years-long war in Darfur began in 2003 with a rebel uprising that prompted then-strongman Omar al-Bashir to unleash the Janjaweed militia, whose actions have led to international accusations of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The Rapid Support Forces have their origins in the Janjaweed.
On Sunday, Kuwait said it had sent 10 tonnes of food and medical supplies to Sudan.
(This story was not edited by the News18 staff and was published from a syndicated news agency feed – France Press agency)
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