Humanitarian ceasefire for a week in Sudan amid ongoing mutual shelling
Sudan’s two sides agreed on Saturday night to a seven-day humanitarian truce, while Khartoum saw air strikes and artillery fire between the army led by Abdul Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
The United States and Saudi Arabia said in a joint statement late Saturday that representatives of the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces have agreed to a week-long ceasefire that begins Monday.
The statement said the ceasefire “can be extended with the agreement of both parties.” The two sides also agreed to “deliver and distribute humanitarian aid, restore basic services, and withdraw troops from hospitals and basic public facilities,” it said.
The ceasefire “will enter into force at 21:45 Khartoum time (1945 GMT) on May 22” and will last for seven days, the joint statement said.
Washington and Riyadh said both sides had expressed “a commitment not to pursue military gains during the 48-hour notice period after the signing of the agreement and before the ceasefire.”
The joint US-Saudi statement said it expects the “subsequent talks to focus on further steps to improve the security and humanitarian conditions for civilians.”
Since the outbreak of the war, several efforts to establish a permanent truce have failed. Representatives of the two sides have been holding talks in Saudi Arabia in the past few hours.
“It is well known that both sides have previously announced a cease-fire that was not in place. “Unlike the previous ceasefire, the agreement reached in Jeddah was signed by both sides and will be supported by a ceasefire monitoring mechanism supported internationally by Saudi Arabia, the USA and the international community.”
Commenting on the cease-fire announcement, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a tweet, “It is time to silence the guns and allow unhindered humanitarian access. I appeal to both sides to adhere to this agreement – the world’s eyes are watching.”
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan expressed his appreciation for the co-operation of the Sudanese parties participating in the Jeddah talks to reach a ceasefire agreement.
The Saudi Foreign Minister affirmed the keenness of the Kingdom’s leadership on “the security and stability of Sudan and its brotherly people.” He saw in this agreement a glimmer of hope for the Sudanese, especially the residents of the capital Khartoum, and expressed his hope that the agreement would be extended at a later time.
“The Sudan Freedom and Change Forces (TFCC), a coalition of pro-democratic political parties, welcomed the ceasefire agreement signed on Saturday evening between the two sides in the conflict.”
“We in the forces of freedom and change call for full commitment to the Jeddah Declaration of Principles, the short-term ceasefire agreement and humanitarian arrangements and hope this agreement will be another step forward on the road to a total cessation of this dreadful war,” the FCC said in a statement.
“On the ground, residents of Khartoum said Saturday that fierce fighting raged during daylight hours, despite international appeals for a humanitarian truce.”
Witnesses said the areas attacked included those surrounding the state television building in Omdurman.
“Sudan has been wracked since 15 April by a conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have rejected a plan to integrate them.”
The fighting has left nearly 1,000 people dead, mostly civilians, and forced more than a million Sudanese to flee their homes or seek refuge in neighboring countries.
“The UN is warning of a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Africa’s third largest country, where one-third of the population was dependent on aid even before the latest war.”
“On Friday, Borhan Daglo was dismissed as vice-chairman of the Sovereign Council (the country’s current highest political authority) and decided to appoint a landlord to the post.” He has also appointed three of his allies to high military positions.
“In 2020, a landlord and rebel leaders signed a peace agreement with Khartoum, a member of the Council of Sovereignty since February 2021.”
In a statement issued Saturday, he said he was determined to seek “an end to this war” and push for negotiations.
“There is no alternative to stability in Sudan except through a single, unified professional army that takes into account Sudanese pluralism,” he said.
The integration of the RSF into the army is the main point of contention between Daglo and al-Burhan.
“On Saturday, the Qatari embassy was attacked, condemned by Doha.”
“The State of Qatar condemns in the strongest terms the storming and vandalization of its embassy in Khartoum by irregular armed forces,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“The embassy staff has been evacuated before and no diplomats or embassy staff have been harmed,” the ministry said.
The Qatari foreign ministry called for “an immediate halt to the fighting in Sudan, to exercise maximum restraint and resort to the voice of reason, to give priority to the public interest and to spare civilians the consequences of the fighting.”
“In recent weeks, the embassies of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey have been attacked.”
Saturday’s attack came a day after an Arab summit in Jeddah urged Sudan’s two warring generals to halt fighting.
When asked about talks between the two sides, the Saudi foreign minister said Friday the focus was on reaching a truce that would allow Sudanese civilians to catch their breath.
The US Secretary of State urged Al-Burhan during a telephone conversation with him on Saturday to show “flexibility” in this file, according to a statement by the State Department.
Although major fighting is concentrated in Khartoum, the violence has expanded to the western Darfur region where the RSF has its roots.
In Nyala, capital of South Darfur State, fierce fighting has raged in recent hours, killing 22 people, according to the Sudanese Bar Association.
On Friday, UN humanitarian envoy Martin Griffiths announced $22 million from a UN emergency fund to help Sudanese who have fled to neighboring countries.
The United States on Friday pledged 103 million dollars to Sudan and its neighbors to help the displaced and refugees.
