Conflicts & War

Sudan’s army ready to extend ceasefire

Khartoum, Apr 27 (EFE).- The Sudanese Armed Forces announced Thursday an extension of the ceasefire in the conflict with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to facilitate the evacuation of foreign nationals and ensure access to humanitarian aid.

A 72-hour truce brokered by the United States was set to expire at midnight Thursday.

That ceasefire, like previous ones proclaimed during the past 13, has had only a limited effect, and residents of the capital woke up Thursday to sounds of explosions and anti-aircraft fire.

Thick columns of black smoke were seen rising in the northern part of Khartoum amid fighting between troops loyal to Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and RSF soldiers led by Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, known as Hemedti.

Hemedti supported Al-Burhan in October 2021 when the general seized control of the Sovereign Council that has governed Sudan since the ouster of dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019.

But long-standing tensions between the regular army and the RSF paramilitaries erupted into open combat on April 15 amid discussions about a reorganization of the military to expedite a return to civilian rule.

The RSF has not indicated whether it will go along with prolonging the truce for another 72 hours.

Though combat has continued throughout the succession of ceasefires, the three-day truce that began Wednesday has allowed foreign governments to make progress in getting their citizens out of harm’s way.

Evacuation operations continued Thursday at Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast, one of the areas least affected by the conflict.

Clashes have been concentrated in the northern and western areas of Khartoum, where the international airport, army headquarters, the Republican Palace, and other government institutions are located.

Fighting has also been taking place in the western regions of Sudan, especially in Darfur, an RSF stronghold.

At least 512 people have been killed and more than 4,000 injured in the fighting, which has taken its toll on the Sudanese health system and displaced tens of thousands of people.

EFE az-ar-cgs/smq/ch/dr

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