Warring sides in Sudan’s nearly two-week conflict agreed on Thursday to extend a ceasefire for three days. Photo by Sudan Armed Forces/UPI | License photo
April 28 (UPI) — Warring sides in Sudan’s bloody conflict have agreed to extend a 72-hour ceasefire as fighting continues in the capital, Khartoum.
The African nation has been wracked by violence since April 15 when clashes broke out between two factions of Sudan’s military, the rival paramilitary forces of the Sudan Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.
On Monday, they agreed to an internationally brokered truce that has been punctured by the thorns of the ongoing fighting, and both sides agreed on Thursday to extend it for three more days from 12:01 a.m. Friday, when their original deal was due to expire.
“We reaffirm our commitment to the conditions of the humanitarian ceasefire, taking into account the circumstances of the Sudanese people and to facilitate the evacuation of diplomatic and foreign nationals,” the rapid support force said. statement.
Sudan’s armed forces also issued a statement confirming the agreement and called on the Rapid Support Force to abide by the ceasefire, as the military accuses the militia of ceasefire violations over the past three days.
The conflict has erupted as the African nation has teetered on the brink of war or stability for years since the military toppled the country’s former three-decade dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019 in a civilian-backed coup.
As the country moved towards democracy, Sudanese armed forces general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo staged another coup, but internal struggles for control of the government turned into a bloody conflict.
More than 450 people were killed, and foreign countries rushed to evacuate their diplomats and citizens during the ceasefire, while humanitarian organizations and the United Nations tried to send aid.
Meanwhile, the 55-member African Union is calling on the international community to “urgently” provide humanitarian aid to civilians fleeing the country.
President Moussa Faki Mahamat’s statement asked neighboring nations to “facilitate the transit and safety of civilians crossing their borders without hindrance.”
“The President reiterates his appeal to the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces to immediately agree to a permanent ceasefire to facilitate the delivery of much-needed humanitarian aid to Sudan.”
On Wednesday, Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said at least 20,000 Sudanese had fled to Chad and others had moved to Egypt, while at least 4,000 South Sudanese refugees had been forced to return home.
