2023-04-26 03:24:36
Ten days after the start of the fighting which left more than 460 dead and more than 4,000 injured according to the UN, the 72-hour ceasefire concluded between belligerents in Sudan under the aegis of the United States is partially respected Tuesday in Khartoum.
On this point: Washington announces three-day ceasefire in Sudan
The army targeted, on Tuesday, with its planes the positions of the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (FSR) who responded with bursts of heavy machine guns, in the suburbs of Khartoum, witnesses told AFP. New air raids targeting RSF vehicles took place in the evening in northern Khartoum, according to other witnesses.
And paramilitaries of General Mohamed Hamdane Daglo – who oppose the army of rival General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane, in power since a coup in October 2021 – claimed to have taken control of a refinery and a power station 70 km north of Khartoum, video shows on Tuesday. The army reported on Facebook a “significant movement (of the FSR) towards the refinery in order to take advantage of the truce to (in) take control”.
As with every truce announcement, the FSR and the army mutually accused each other of violating it.
UN denounces attacks on civilians
The head of the UN mission in Sudan denounced, Tuesday, before the Security Council the “little consideration” for the civilians of the belligerents who attack inhabited areas, “in defiance of the law of war”. “Both warring sides are fighting in defiance of the law and the rules of war, attacking densely populated areas, with little regard for civilians, hospitals or even vehicles transferring the wounded and sick,” Volker said. Perthes.
In the capital, fighting around “strategic locations” has “largely continued and sometimes even intensified”, noted Volker Perthes, who was speaking from Port Sudan in the east of the country, where the UN has relocated some of its staff.
“There is no clear sign yet that either (of the two generals) is ready to really negotiate,” suggesting that the two believe a military victory is possible. “It’s a miscalculation. Even if one side wins, Sudan will lose.”
In general, the fighting “has created a humanitarian disaster for which civilians are paying the price”, commented the UN official.
Read also: Sudan, epicenter of deadly influence games
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, describing “ten days of heartbreaking violence and chaos”, repeated his fear of the conflict spreading to the entire region. “The seven countries bordering Sudan have all been involved in the last decade in conflicts or significant civil unrest. The power struggle in Sudan not only threatens the future of the country. It ignites a spark that could explode beyond borders, causing immense suffering for years to come, and setting back development for decades,” Guterres insisted.
Continuation of evacuations
At the same time, the exodus continues. A boat with 1,687 civilians arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday morning. The previous evening, a plane with 104 evacuees on board landed at Eindhoven airport in the south of the Netherlands, Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said. These people had already been evacuated to Jordan before they could board a plane for the Netherlands.
The United Kingdom, meanwhile, began the evacuation of its nationals, three days after that of its diplomats. A first flight landed in Cyprus on Tuesday and two more followed overnight.
More than 1000 EU nationals were able to leave. Around 700 international staff from the UN, NGOs and embassies “have been evacuated to Port Sudan”, the UN said.
Read again: Switzerland depends on its allies for the safety of its citizens abroad
Switzerland has repatriated its staff from the embassy in Khartoum, as well as accompanying persons. All staff are now safe and many are in Switzerland. Bern is looking for solutions for the thirty dual nationals who still want to leave the country.
Up to 270,000 people could still flee in neighboring Chad and South Sudan, the UN warned on Tuesday.
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