After fights and airstrikes overnight, locals said that clashes in Khartoum subsided early on Sunday as a 72-hour ceasefire between competing military factions in Sudan began.
According to Saudi and U.S. mediators, both the Sudanese army and the opposing Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have agreed to forgo attacks and quit pursuing military superiority during the ceasefire period, which began at 6 a.m. (0400 GMT). They also agreed to permit the delivery of aid. The fighting has been halted on few occasions before.
The two sides’ quest for control has caused looting in the capital, sparked conflict in other areas, and sparked a major uptick in violence in Darfur, in western Sudan.
Witnesses reported confrontations and airstrikes in several districts of Khartoum and Omdurman, one of the two adjacent cities that make up the larger capital at the confluence of the River Nile, in the hours prior to the start of the truce period.
According to Salaheldin Ahmed, 49, a resident of Khartoum, “the situation is calm, especially because last night there were air strikes and it was terrifying,” and he expressed optimism that the cease-fire may mark the “beginning of the end” of the war.
He muttered, “We’re worn out. Enough with the bloodshed, murder, and looting.
The delivery of some humanitarian aid as combat reduced was made possible by prior ceasefires mediated by Saudi Arabia and the United States at meetings in Jeddah, but both sides routinely breached the agreements.
Four years after the fall of long-reigning despot Omar al-Bashir in a popular revolt, the violence broke out amid disagreements over a plan for a transition to elections under a civilian government. Since early June, the fighting has been more intense.
The United Nations, Egypt, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are conducting a donors meeting in Geneva on Monday in an effort to raise money for humanitarian aid in Sudan.
According to the U.N., more than half of Sudan’s 49 million people now require humanitarian aid, necessitating $3 billion in funding up until the end of the year.
For the refugee catastrophe brought on by the violence, a plea for approximately $500 million has also been made. Along with the almost 1.7 million internally displaced individuals, more than 500,000 people have migrated into Sudan’s neighboring countries.
Reuters
