2023-04-25 00:51:10
Sudanese families leave Khartoum to escape the clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the army
The US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, said that the Sudanese parties agreed to a three-day ceasefire, starting from Tuesday.
“Following intense negotiations over the past 48 hours, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces have agreed to a nationwide ceasefire that will begin at midnight on April 24 and will last for 72 hours,” he added in a statement.
This is at least the third cease-fire announced since the outbreak of violence this month, but neither side has committed to the conflict.
At least 400 people have been killed since the fighting broke out.
The army and the Rapid Support Forces separately declared commitment to the new ceasefire.
The United States is scheduled to form a committee with the aim of a permanent ceasefire, as stated in Blinken’s statement regarding the new armistice.
The statement added that the committee would supervise the negotiations aimed at approving a permanent armistice.
He explained that the committee will coordinate with regional and international partners, in addition to stakeholders among Sudanese civilians.
“We will continue to work with the Sudanese parties and our partners towards the common goal of returning to a civilian government in Sudan,” he added.
Since the outbreak of violence just over a week ago, residents of the capital, Khartoum, have been told to stay indoors, while most residents have run out of food and water supplies. Bombings between both sides of the conflict have hit key infrastructure, such as water pipes, meaning some people have been forced to Drinking from the Nile. Many hope the ceasefire will allow civilians to leave Khartoum, while foreign governments also hope it will allow evacuations of their nationals out of Sudan. Many countries have scrambled to evacuate their diplomats and civilians as fighting rages in the densely populated capital. Monitoring group NetBlocks said on Monday that Sudan is experiencing internet outages at a connection rate of 2 percent of normal levels. In Khartoum, the internet has been out since Sunday night. Violence erupted between the army, led by Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, led by Lieutenant General Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hamidti, on April 15, in order to control the third largest country in Africa.
Sudan Clashes: Why is there a conflict in the country?
This came following days of tension that witnessed the redeployment of elements of the Rapid Support Forces across the country in a move that the army considered a threat. Since the 2021 coup, Sudan has been running a military council led by Al-Burhan, the commander of the armed forces and the country’s president, and his deputy, Hamidti.
The two generals disagree regarding the direction the country is heading and when it is proposed to hand the country over to civilian rule. The main sticking points are plans to include the 100,000-strong Rapid Support Forces in the army, and who will lead that new force next. Hemeti accused Burhan’s government of being “radical Islamist”. “. He says he and the RSF are “fighting for the people of Sudan to ensure the democratic progress they have longed for.” Many find this message hard to believe, given the RSF’s brutal record. Al-Burhan said he supports the idea of a return to civilian rule, but will not hand over power. Except for an elected government.
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