Sudan’s rivals agree to a 72-hour ceasefire
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Salma Hossein
- . April 25, 2023
- . Update: April 25, 2023 2:26 pm
A 72-hour ceasefire between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) came into effect on Tuesday after intense negotiations.
The United States brokered a 72-hour ceasefire between Sudan’s rivals. Antony Blinken, United States Secretary of State, said that the Sudanese army and the Sudanese paramilitary forces had been negotiating to agree on a 72-hour ceasefire. The truce came after 10 days of intense fighting that killed hundreds of people, injured thousands and sparked a mass exodus of foreigners.
RSF paramilitary wrote on Twitter, “This ceasefire aims to establish humanitarian corridors, allowing citizens and residents to access essential resources, health care, and safe zones, while also evacuating diplomatic missions.” The SAF said on Facebook that it would also abide by the ceasefire brokered by the US.
Read | Countries Begin To Evacuate Citizens As Khartoum Sudan Battles Rage
Earlier, Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), warned that Sudan was on “the edge of the abyss” due to the recent fighting between the RSF paramilitary and Sudan’s military.
The fighting between the two rivals started on April 15. Sudan’s military is loyal to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces are loyal to Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.
According to the United Nations, at least 427 people have been killed and more than 3,700 have been injured due to the recent fighting. Egypt’s foreign ministry also revealed that the assistant administrative attache at Cairo’s embassy in Khartoum also died because of the recent fighting in the Sudanese capital. He was killed while going to the embassy.
Earlier, the United States warned of shortages of medicines as well as food and water in Sudan due to the recent conflict. Many countries also launched emergency missions to evacuate their citizens from Sudan. The United States and European, Middle Eastern, African and Asian nations began evacuation efforts on Saturday.
