Sudan’s armed forces have agreed to extend a temporary truce with their paramilitary rivals, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), for a further 72 hours. The ceasefire, which was originally set to expire at midnight local time, has been extended due to US and Saudi mediation. This is the latest in a series of truces that have largely been violated by both sides.
The RSF has also agreed to extend a humanitarian truce for another three days. “In response to international, regional and local calls, we announce the extension of the humanitarian truce for 72 hours, starting from midnight tonight,” the RSF said on Twitter. The paramilitary force said it had given its approval for the cease-fire “in order to open humanitarian corridors and facilitate the movement of citizens and residents and enable them to fulfil their needs and reach safe areas.”
Despite the calling of a 72-hour ceasefire on Thursday, clashes continued over the weekend with both sides accusing the other of violating the agreement. The fighting, which is now in its third week, has resulted in over 500 deaths according to the Sudanese Health Ministry. The Sudan Doctors’ Syndicate, which monitors casualties in the violence, said 425 civilians were killed and 2,091 wounded.
The conflict is centred around a power struggle between Sudan’s de facto leader, Army chief Abdel Fattah Burhan, and his ex-deputy Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, who commands the RSF. The RSF, which was formed from the remnants of the Janjaweed militia that was accused of committing war crimes in Darfur, has been accused of carrying out violent attacks against protesters.
The United Nations, African Union, and European Union have called for an end to the violence and for the establishment of a civilian-led transitional government in Sudan. The UN has also called for an investigation into the violence and for those responsible to be held accountable.
The extension of the ceasefire provides a glimmer of hope for Sudan, which has been plagued by years of conflict, economic turmoil, and political instability. The international community will be watching closely to see if both sides honour the truce and use the time to negotiate a lasting peace agreement.
Due to the rapidly developing conflict in Sudan and the increasing worry for those affected by it, the United Nations’ chief humanitarian representative is on his way to the region.
On Sunday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres declared that he would send emergency relief coordinator Martin Griffiths “immediately” following the extension of a cease-fire between the opposing sides.
Guterres’ spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, stated that “the scale and speed of what is unfolding is unprecedented in Sudan,” and that the UN is highly concerned about the immediate and long-term impact on the people of Sudan and the surrounding area.
According to the US State Department, around 1,000 US citizens have departed Sudan with the aid of the US government and international allies.
On Sunday, another evacuation convoy organized by the US government arrived at Port Sudan.
The State Department stated that the evacuees will be taken to Saudi Arabia, where additional personnel are available to assist with emergency travel arrangements.
The ongoing violence in Sudan has the potential to trigger a humanitarian crisis throughout East Africa, according to the director of the World Food Program (WFP) of the United Nations in Germany. The conflict, which involves Sudan’s military led by General Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces loyal to his deputy Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, has aggravated an already dire food shortage in the country since April 15.
Before the fighting broke out, a third of Sudan’s population was already starving, and now the situation has deteriorated further with shortages of everything, including skyrocketing food prices. As a result, neighbouring countries such as Chad and South Sudan, which have taken in thousands of refugees, are also experiencing similar price hikes.
In South Sudan, where climate change has caused flooding in some regions and droughts in others, food prices have increased by 28% in a short period, Frick reported to the DPA news agency. The most vulnerable, such as pregnant women and malnourished children, could be left without aid if assistance is not reinstated.
The Red Cross has sent a plane carrying humanitarian aid to Sudan, which has landed in the city of Port Sudan. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the eight-tonne shipment includes surgical materials that will support hospitals in Sudan as well as volunteers from the Sudan Red Crescent Society. This marks the first of such flights conducted by the Red Cross.
The shipment was dispatched from Amman, the capital of Jordan, and Patrick Youssef, the ICRC’s Africa regional director, has stated that the surgical supplies would be enough to stabilize around 1,500 patients. However, Youssef also mentioned that the organization is seeking security guarantees before delivering aid to Khartoum and Darfur, and that only the same aid could be sent to Darfur, while nothing could be delivered to Khartoum.
The World Health Organization has reported that only 16% of Khartoum’s hospitals are currently operational, and that health facilities have been subjected to shelling during the fighting.
An additional evacuation flight from Port Sudan has been organized by the UK, which is scheduled to take off on May 1. According to London, 2,122 individuals have already been evacuated from Sudan.
In the meantime, anonymous US officials cited by Reuters have stated that Washington dispatched a navy ship to Port Sudan for the purpose of evacuating its citizens. The officials claimed that several hundred individuals would likely be evacuated via the vessel.
Ever since two successive military coups, two generals have been grappling for power, resulting in the death of hundreds of people. Additionally, thousands of people are fleeing the country. While governments worldwide are conducting evacuation missions to bring their citizens to safety, the World Food Programme has suspended its support to 7.6 million Sudanese people.
The RSF, backed by Russia’s Wagner Group, has been accused by Burhan of being a militia that aims to destroy Sudan. Dagalo, on the other hand, accused the military chief of being a traitor. The ministry has reported that the fighting has affected 12 out of 18 states in Sudan, including the Darfur region.
The two sides are fighting fiercely for the capital city, Khartoum, and have continued despite a series of truces, with the latest due to expire at midnight local time (2200 GMT/UTC). The army is battling the RSF, which is entrenched in residential areas of the city. However, the situation was relatively calm on Sunday morning.
Both Burhan and Dagalo were involved in the ousting of Islamist-backed strongman Omar al-Bashir in 2019. They were entrusted to guide the transition to civilian rule but staged a coup together in October 2021 to disrupt the process. Their alliance collapsed, and their disagreement over integrating the RSF into the regular army resulted in a full-scale conflict.
