Sudan’s warring factions have agreed in principle to a seven-day ceasefire from Thursday, neighbouring South Sudan announced, as more air raids and shooting in the Khartoum region disrupted the latest short-term truce.
A statement released on Tuesday by the Foreign Ministry of South Sudan, which had offered to mediate in the conflict, said its President Salva Kiir stressed the importance of a longer truce and of naming envoys to peace talks, to which both sides had agreed.
The credibility of the reported May 4-11 deal ceasefire deal between Sudanese army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader General Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo was unclear, given the rampant violations that undermined previous agreements running from 24 to 72 hours.
“Previously, we have had a three-day ceasefire followed by another three-day ceasefire, which was followed by an extension of the three-day ceasefire. This one is supposed to last for seven days. Both sides have agreed that they will have a ceasefire and that they will not fire unless they are fired at or unless there are military movements. All ceasefires have been conditional,” Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan, reporting Khartoum, said.
“The two sides say they have agreed to hold talks but we have repeatedly heard from the army that there are conditions set for these talks to happen. The Rapid Support Forces has also said the same,” Morgan added.
Sudan’s war has forced 100,000 people to flee over its borders and fighting, now its third week, is creating a humanitarian crisis, UN officials said earlier on Tuesday.
The conflict risks developing into a broader disaster as Sudan’s neighbours deal with a refugee crunch and fighting hampers aid deliveries in a nation where two-thirds of the people already rely on some outside assistance.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said Cairo would provide support for dialogue in Sudan between the rival factions, but was also “being careful about not interfering in their domestic matters.”
