Tense calm in Khartoum on first day of 72-hour ceasefire
Khartoum, May 1 (EFE).- A tense calm prevailed in Khartoum and other regions of crisis-ridden Sudan on Monday, the first day of a 72-hour ceasefire following two weeks of a violent power battle between the regular army and a paramilitary group.
Even as the United States and Saudi Arabia-mediated truce between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces went into effect, noises of air strikes and artillery shelling could be heard exploding in some regions south of the city and a suburb east of the Blue Nile.
There were no specifics regarding the locations attacked or whether there were casualties.
However, an eerie calm prevailed in the Sudanese capital’s center and north, home to the president’s official residence and the airport, which had seen heavy fighting since the sudden outbreak of violence on April 15.
The current truce, the sixth since the conflict began, increased the movement of citizens in Khartoum and the neighboring city of Omdurman.
Only a few stores, markets, and pharmacies were open to the public.
Buyers grumbled about exorbitant costs and a lack of supplies, particularly pharmaceuticals. Vehicles lined in front of numerous petrol stations in the capital and Omdurman.
The World Food Programme (WFP), which had paused its Khartoum operations on April 16 following the deaths of three members of its team in Darfur (west), stated in a statement on Monday that it has resumed operations despite the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe.
The warring military factions agreed to the 72-hour truce on Sunday.
They declared the first ceasefire on April 24, which wasn’t meant to pause the fighting but did provide a window for thousands of foreigners to leave the country and for Sudanese to flee to safer locations.
On April 15, a deadly vicious power struggle erupted between the Sudanese military and the well-armed robust paramilitary.
It sparked a humanitarian disaster that resulted in the deaths of at least 528 individuals.
According to the UN, the violence has displaced tens of thousands of people, caused a collapse in the healthcare system in the impacted areas, and created a critical shortage of basics.
Over 50,000 Sudanese have sought refuge in seven neighboring countries. EFE
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