Calm in Sudan after US, Saudi-brokered ceasefire takes effect
Khartoum, Jun 18 (EFE).- A tense calm prevailed in Sudan on Sunday, a day after a 72-hour ceasefire between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group was agreed.
The three-day ceasefire, brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia, took effect at 6am Sunday morning.
In a joint official statement, the mediators said the warring parties in Sudan had agreed to “refrain from movements and attacks, the use of warplanes or drones, artillery bombardment, reinforcement of positions, resupply of forces, or refrain from attempting to achieve military gains,” as well as to “allow freedom of movement and the delivery of humanitarian aid throughout Sudan.”
Since the outbreak of the conflict on April 15, the Sudanese army and the RSF have agreed to more than a dozen truces brokered by various international mediators, although only the most recent 24-hour ceasefire last weekend was fully respected.
The conflict in Sudan has caused the internal and external displacement of more than 2.2 million people, according to United Nations agencies, in addition to the 3.7 million internally displaced people already in the country, mainly in Darfur.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday that at least 866 people have been killed and another 6,083 injured since the start of the fighting in Sudan. EFE
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