Military leader promises civilian transition in Sudan, but no Eid truce

Khartoum/Cairo, Apr 21 (EFE).- The Sudanese military leader and president of the Sovereign Council, Abdelfatah al Burhan, on Friday promised to oversee a transition to a civilian government, once the army has defeated the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group.

The pledge came despite the army refusing to agree to a ceasefire proposed by the United Nations for Eid al Fitr, a three-day feast which marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

“We are confident that we will overcome this ordeal with wisdom and strength, in a way that preserves the security and unity of the country and allows us to ensure a transition to a civilian government,” Al Burhan said in his first speech since the fighting began on Saturday.

In the video, the general said Sudan had sustained “a very serious wound, which has caused deaths and injuries, families were displaced, and facilities and houses were destroyed”.

The UN on Thursday proposed a three-day truce coinciding with the end of Ramadan, but only the RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo “Hemedti” – Sudan’s strongman – has unilaterally supported it, with the army not acknowledging the proposal.

“We agreed to a humanitarian truce for 72 hours, starting at 6am today, coinciding with the blessed Eid al Fitr to open humanitarian corridors to evacuate citizens and give them a chance to greet their families,” RSF said in a statement.

The fighting continued throughout Friday, according to EFE reporters.

At least 413 people have been killed and 3,551 injured in Sudan since the outbreak of the conflict, the World Health Organization said Friday.

UN agencies are already seeing displaced people fleeing the conflict, with Sudanese people seeking refuge in other countries, such as Chad.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said Thursday that between 10,000 and 20,000 people have left the Darfur region of western Sudan and taken refuge in Chad since the conflict began. EFE

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