On Thursday, the United States and African nations raced to secure an extension of a ceasefire in Sudan, with the Sudanese army indicating that it had given an initial nod to an African proposal calling for talks even though heavy fighting persisted.
Hundreds of people have been slain during the nearly two-week conflict between the army and a rival paramilitary force, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which threatens to destabilize the entire region.
An RSF statement accused the army of attacking its forces on Thursday and disseminating “false rumors,” but made no mention of the proposal that the army claimed originated from the African regional bloc Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD).
The three-day ceasefire, which has halted fighting, ends tonight at midnight (2200 GMT).
The three-day ceasefire, which has halted fighting, ends tonight at midnight (2200 GMT).
Despite an exodus representing one of the largest such evacuations since the withdrawal of US-led forces from Afghanistan in 2021, many foreign nationals remain stranded in Sudan.
Sudanese citizens fleeing Khartoum for food, water, and fuel continued Thursday.
The army announced late Wednesday that its leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, had given preliminary approval to the proposal to extend the ceasefire for another 72 hours and to dispatch an army envoy to the capital of South Sudan, Juba, for negotiations.
According to the military, the presidents of South Sudan, Kenya, and Djibouti collaborated on a proposal that includes an extension of the cease-fire and negotiations between the two sides.
“Burhan thanked the IGAD and gave his initial approval,” according to an army statement.
Reuters was unable to reach an IGAD spokesperson for comment immediately.
Wednesday, the State Department reported that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat discussed working together to create a sustainable end to the conflict.
Evacuations
Since April 15, at least 512 people have been slain and nearly 4,200 injured in the fighting.
An increasing number of refugees have fled across Sudan’s borders due to the crisis. The UN Agency for refugees estimates that 270 thousand people could escape to South Sudan and Chad alone.
Thousands of individuals, predominantly Sudanese, have been waiting to cross into Egypt, Sudan’s northern neighbor.
France announced on Thursday that it had evacuated additional individuals from Sudan. Including not only French citizens but also Britons, Americans, Canadians, Ethiopians, Dutch, Italians, and Swedes.
After the truce, Britain advised its citizens to board British aircraft out of Sudan.
Syrian Mohammad Al Samman, who was evacuated to Jordan by plane, was shocked by the brutality.
I did not experience this in Syria. After landing in Jordan, Al Samman told Reuters that Syria’s war and damage delayed it.
Hospitals that are not operating
With airstrikes and artillery fire unleashed during the fighting, the conflict has destroyed hospitals and restricted food distribution in the vast country, where a third of the 46 million inhabitants were already dependent on humanitarian aid.
The conflict has halted treatment for an estimated 50,000 severely malnourished children, and hospitals that are still operating are facing shortages of medical supplies, power, and water, according to a UN report released on Wednesday.
The Sudan Doctors Union reported that sixty of eighty-six hospitals in conflict zones had ceased operations.
The majority of the fighting has occurred in Khartoum, where RSF militants have infiltrated residential areas. And the western province of Darfur, where conflict has simmered since the outbreak of civil war there twenty years ago.
The update stated that deadly clashes erupted in Geneina, West Darfur, on Tuesday and Wednesday, resulting in looting and civilian fatalities and raising concerns about an escalation of ethnic tensions.
The Sudanese army and RSF overthrew a civilian administration in October 2021 after months of conflict.
Tensions increased as the international community advocated a new transition to elections and civilian rule.
A final accord was scheduled for April, the fourth anniversary of the popular uprising that deposed Islamist ruler Omar al-Bashir.
