After an American embassy convoy was fired upon on Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the commander of the Rapid Support Forces and Sudan’s army chief.
The Sudanese army and paramilitaries have reportedly consented to a 24-hour ceasefire in the violence that has killed at least 185 people since Saturday.
Air and artillery shelling has harmed over 1,800 people, according to the UN.
The Sudan Doctors’ Syndicate reports that 144 of the casualties are civilians. Those residing in urban areas, including the capital Khartoum, have been compelled to remain indoors.
Egypt and the UAE were mediating a ceasefire while the US and others demanded one.
According to Al Arabiya, Al Jazeera, and CNN Arabic, leaders from both parties have now agreed to the temporary cease-fire.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the firing on a US embassy convoy “reckless” and “irresponsible” one day prior.
He called the chief of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, and the country’s de facto president, General Abd al-Fattah al-Burhan, to convey that any threat to US diplomats was unacceptable.
Mr. Blinken stated that everyone in the diplomatic convoy is safe, adding, “We have deep concerns about the overall security environment as it affects civilians, diplomats, and aid workers.
After the breakdown of a power pact between Hemedti and General al-Burhan, tensions escalated. The violence has once again placed civilians in the crossfire in Sudan.
Their power struggle has derailed the transition to civilian rule and stoked concerns of a wider war.
Although the army is larger and has air power, the RSF is extensively deployed in Khartoum and other cities, giving neither side the advantage for a swift victory.
General al Burhan stated that he was willing to negotiate despite the ongoing hostilities.
“It is possible if negotiations restore the country and are fair,” he added.
General al Burhan leads a ruling council installed following a coup in 2021 and the removal of veteran leader Omar al Bashir in 2019 as a result of widespread protests.
Khartoum is rarely violent, but on Monday, locals reported bombing, artillery fire, and shooting that closed hospitals.
Since Saturday, the conflict in the capital and its neighboring sister cities Omdurman and Bahri is the worst in decades.
The conflict has spread to western Darfur and northern and eastern Sudan along the Egyptian and Ethiopian borders.
