The United States and several African countries are rushing to secure an extension of a ceasefire in Sudan as hundreds of people have been killed in almost two weeks of conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The two groups are embroiled in a power struggle that could destabilize the region. Gunfire was heard in the Khartoum area on Thursday, and many foreign nationals remained trapped in the country despite an exodus over the past few days.
Although the existing three-day ceasefire brought about a lull in fighting, it did not completely halt it and was set to expire at midnight (22:00 GMT). The Sudanese army has given initial approval to an African proposal calling for talks even as fighting continues. The army’s leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, approved a plan to extend the truce for another 72 hours and to send an army envoy to the South Sudan capital, Juba, for talks.
The proposal includes extending the truce and talks between the two forces, and the presidents of South Sudan, Kenya, and Djibouti worked on it. The crisis has sent growing numbers of refugees across Sudan’s borders, and the UN refugee agency has estimated that 270,000 people could flee into South Sudan and Chad alone.
The conflict has destroyed hospitals and limited food distribution in the vast nation where a third of the 46 million people were already reliant on humanitarian aid. An estimated 50,000 acutely malnourished children have had treatment disrupted due to the conflict, and those hospitals still functioning are facing shortages of medical supplies, power, and water, according to a UN update on Wednesday.
Deadly clashes broke out in Geneina in West Darfur on Tuesday and Wednesday, resulting in looting and civilian deaths, raising concerns about an escalation of ethnic tensions, the update said. France has evacuated more people from Sudan, including French nationals, Britons, Americans, Canadians, Ethiopians, Dutch, Italians, and Swedes, as part of a wider exodus of expatriates. The friction was brought to a head by an internationally backed plan to launch a new transition towards elections and a government led by civilian parties.
A final deal was due to be signed earlier in April, on the fourth anniversary of the overthrow of long-ruling Islamist autocrat Omar al-Bashir in a popular uprising. Tension had been building for months between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary RSF, which together toppled a civilian government in an October 2021 coup.
Foreigners evacuated from Khartoum have described bodies littering streets, buildings on fire, residential areas turned into battlefields, and youths roaming with large knives. At least 512 people have been killed, and close to 4,200 were wounded by the fighting since April 15.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and African Union commission chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat discussed working together to create a sustainable end to the fighting, the State Department said in a statement on Wednesday.
The United States and African countries are making efforts to secure an extension of the ceasefire in Sudan as the conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces continues. The crisis has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people, with many foreign nationals remaining trapped in the country.
Although the existing three-day ceasefire brought about a lull in fighting, it did not completely halt it, and it was set to expire at midnight. The Sudanese army has given initial approval to an African proposal calling for talks, and France has evacuated more people from Sudan.
The conflict has destroyed hospitals and limited food distribution, raising concerns about an escalation of ethnic tensions. The tension between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary RSF, which together toppled a civilian.
