Warring sides agree to new 72-hr ceasefire in Sudan

Warring parties in Sudan have agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire that will begin on Sunday, according to the United States (U.S.) and Saudi Arabia.

The US-brokered ceasefire between the Sudanese army and the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) was scheduled to begin at 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) and end on Wednesday.

“The parties agreed that during the ceasefire, they will refrain from prohibited movements, attacks, use of military aircraft or drones, artillery strikes, reinforcement of positions, and resupply of forces, as well as seeking military advantage,” the US embassy in Khartoum stated.

“They also agreed to allow for the free movement and distribution of humanitarian aid throughout the country.”

Sudanese conflict erupted unexpectedly in mid-April, following a long-simmering power struggle between de facto president Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and vice president Mohammed Hamdan Daglo.

Since then, numerous ceasefires have been violated. The two generals took power together in 2021.

According to UN estimates, the fighting has displaced more than 2.2 million people. According to UN agencies, nearly 25 million people in the country require humanitarian assistance, and 4 million children and pregnant or nursing mothers are acutely malnourished.

dpa/NAN