US, Saudi Arabia announce 24-hour Sudan truce from Saturday
Riyadh, June 9 (EFE).- Saudi Arabia and the United States announced a 24-hour ceasefire in Sudan starting on Saturday, a statement from the mediators said.
Sudan’s warring factions, the Sudan Armed Forces and the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed on the truce that will begin on Saturday at 6:00 a.m. Khartoum time, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement published on Friday.
“The parties agreed that during the ceasefire they will refrain from prohibited movements, attacks, use of aircraft or drones, aerial bombardments, artillery strikes, reinforcement of positions and resupply of forces, as will refrain from seeking military advantage during the ceasefire,” the statement added.
The Sudanese rivals have also agreed to allow the movement and delivery of humanitarian aid throughout the country during the truce, according to the Riyadh statement.
Sudan is in the midst of one of its worst crises in recent history after the country’s top military leaders clashed over a failure to reach an agreement to form a unified army.
The clashes, which broke out on April 15, have so far left 850 dead, thousands wounded, and around 1.6 million people displaced with many fleeing the violence to neighboring countries.
In the mediator’s statement, both Saudi Arabia and the US echoed “the frustration of the Sudanese people about the uneven implementation of previous ceasefires” and called on the warring factions to “break the cycle of violence” which has spiraled since the last truce.
The statement added that the ceasefire, if fulfilled, could provide an important opportunity to deliver much-needed humanitarian aid to civilians.
The announcement also warns that if the truce is not observed, the mediators could be forced to adjourn peace talks.
No previous ceasefire between the Army and the RSF has been respected.
Washington and Riyadh have been sponsoring negotiations between the rivals in the city of Jeddah since May 6.
But on June 1, talks broke down and fighting erupted in Sudan prompting the US to slap sanctions on businesses belonging to the army and RSF and visa restrictions affecting individuals connected to the warring factions.
The conflict in Sudan pits troops loyal to Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the commander-in-chief, against RSF militiamen 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 amid discussions about reorganizing the military to expedite a return to civilian rule. EFE
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