Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The warring parties in Sudan have agreed to a 24-hour ceasefire beginning on Saturday, according to a joint statement by US and Saudi mediators who have mediated previous failed ceasefires.

“Representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed to a 24-hour countrywide ceasefire beginning on June 10 at 6:00 am (0400 GMT),” according to a statement issued by the Saudi foreign ministry on Friday.

“Sudan’s Rival Groups Reach a Rare Agreement: A 24-Hour Ceasefire”

Washington has imposed sanctions on the two warring generals, blaming both sides for the “appalling” amount of bloodshed.

“Should the parties fail to observe the 24-hour ceasefire, facilitators will be compelled to consider adjourning” talks in the Saudi city of Jeddah, which have been suspended since late last month, said the mediators.

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The US authorizes sanctions against Sudanese warlords and their backers. Despite several cease-fires, fighting between the regular army and the paramilitary RSF has gripped Khartoum and the volatile western region of Darfur since April.

According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, more than 1,800 people have been killed, and the United Nations reports that nearly two million people have been displaced, including 476,00 who have sought refuge in neighboring countries.

The Saudi and American mediators stated that they “share the frustration of the Sudanese people over the inconsistent application of previous ceasefires.”

“If observed, the 24-hour ceasefire will provide an important opportunity for the parties to undertake confidence-building measures that could allow the Jeddah talks to resume,” the statement said.

The announcement on Friday comes one day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken concluded a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia, where he met with senior Saudi officials to discuss Sudan.

Sudan’s Warring Factions Achieve Rare Consensus: 24-Hour Ceasefire Accorded

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One month after the outbreak of the Sudanese conflict, the country’s capital is a desolate war zone where terrified families huddle at home while gun battles rage, and the western Darfur region has descended into a state of lethal anarchy.

Khartoum residents have endured weeks of severe food and basic supply shortages, power outages, communication failures, and soaring inflation.

Long a place of relative stability, the capital of five million has become a shell of its former self.

Looters have pillaged hospitals, banks, shops, and wheat silos, leaving charred aircraft on the airport tarmac and shuttered foreign embassies.

In addition, violence resumed in El Geneina, the capital of the state of West Darfur, resulting in hundreds of deaths and the “total collapse” of the health system, according to medical professionals.

According to witnesses, fighting continued on Monday, with loud explosions audible throughout Khartoum and thick smoke billowing into the sky as warplanes drew anti-aircraft fire.

ALSO READ:Sudan’s Rival Forces Agree to Protect Civilians, No Ceasefire Yet

A 37-year-old resident of southern Khartoum who wished to remain anonymous due to safety concerns stated, “The situation is deteriorating by the day.”

“People are becoming increasingly fearful as the two sides… become increasingly violent.”

The fighting between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who leads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), broke out on April 15.

The remnants of the government have retreated to Port Sudan, an evacuation hub 850 kilometers (500 miles) away.

According to the United Nations, nearly 200,000 people have fled Sudan and another 700,000 have been displaced internally by the fighting.

Hamden Mohammed, who fled the Khartoum region for Port Sudan, grumbled, “We’re left on the street, in the sun.” “We want the organizations to evacuate us from Sudan because the country is in ruins.” There is no food, no work, and nothing else.”

According to medical personnel, approximately one thousand people have perished, primarily in and around Khartoum and in the devastated state of West Darfur.

Friday and Saturday violence in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, resulted in at least 280 deaths, according to the Sudanese doctors’ union, which cited “difficulties in counting all casualties.”

A resident of El Geneina stated, “There was still heavy shelling on Sunday that struck my home, causing damage and injuring one of my sisters.”

Other homes in our neighborhood were destroyed.
After a month of fighting, Burhan announced that he would freeze the RSF’s assets. He fired the governor of the central bank and the director general of the police, while Daglo threatened in an audio recording that the army chief would be “brought to justice and hung in a public square.”

ALSO READ: Sudan Conflict Could Displace 800,000, Warns UN

An account of coups

Neither side has been able to establish battlefield superiority.

The army, supported by Egypt, has the advantage of air power, whereas Daglo is supported by the United Arab Emirates and foreign fighters, according to experts.

Daglo commands forces descended from the infamous Janjaweed militia, which is accused of committing atrocities during the twenty-year Darfur conflict.

US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines stated in a recent Senate hearing that “both sides believe they can win militarily.”

Multiple truce agreements have been broken, diminishing hopes for an end to the fighting.

According to Alex Rondos, the former special representative of the European Union to the Horn of Africa, both sides “violate cease-fires with a frequency that demonstrates a level of impunity unprecedented even by Sudan’s standards of civil conflict.”

Sudan has a long history of military coups. But optimism rose in 2019 after mass protests led to the ouster of Islamist-backed strongman Omar al-Bashir. And a rocky transition to civilian rule.

Sudan was slowly reintegrating into the international community. As Washington and other foreign powers lifted sanctions until the generals staged another coup in 2021.

The UN reports that ethnic violence in the states of West Kordofan and White Nile last week. Resulted in the deaths of more than 50 individuals.

‘Poorer for longer

The fighting has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. Where one-third of the population already relied on humanitarian aid before the conflict.

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Since then, aid organizations have been looted and at least 18 of their employees have been murdered.

In the Saudi city of Jeddah, across the Red Sea, envoys from both sides have been negotiating.

By the 11th of May, they had signed an agreement to adhere to humanitarian principles. Which included allowing desperately needed aid.

According to William Carter, the country director for the Norwegian Refugee Council. Chaos erupted again in Geneina on Thursday evening, just hours after the two warring parties signed the Jeddah Agreement.

According to Doctors Without Borders. Food shortages in Darfur’s refugee camps have reduced the number of daily meals from three to one.

Aly Verjee, a researcher on Sudan at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, stated that the conflict has led to “the partial deindustrialization of Sudan.”

“This means that any future Sudan will be much poorer for much longer.”

Endless Struggle: Sudan’s Ongoing Brutal War

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U.S. officials reported that on Friday morning, the warring factions of Sudan agreed to protect civilians and humanitarian aid, but did not agree to a ceasefire and remained far apart.

After a week of discussions in the Saudi port of Jeddah, the Sudanese army and rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) signed a declaration stating that they would work towards a short-term ceasefire in future talks.

Under the condition of anonymity, a senior U.S. State Department official stated, “The two sides are quite far apart.”

A text of the declaration released following the talks stated that the two factions “commit to prioritizing discussions to achieve a short-term ceasefire to facilitate the delivery of emergency humanitarian assistance and the restoration of essential services.”

According to a statement from the U.S. State Department, the parties would focus on reaching an agreement for a 10-day ceasefire.

U.S. official: Next, negotiators working with Saudi and American mediators will discuss specific security measures for protecting relief supplies. The State Department stated in a statement that the measures “will include a U.S.-Saudi and international-supported ceasefire monitoring mechanism.”

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan stated on Twitter that the talks and the commitment to protect civilians were a first step, and that “other steps will follow.”

“The most important thing is to adhere to what was agreed upon, and the Kingdom will work until security and stability return to Sudan and its brotherly people,” the Saudi minister said.

ALSO READ: Sudan Conflict Could Displace 800,000, Warns UN

In their agreement, the army and RSF agreed to schedule “subsequently expanded discussions to achieve a permanent cessation of hostilities.”

Once a temporary ceasefire is agreed upon, the U.S. official said it would be a lengthy process to reach a permanent cessation of hostilities. Washington hopes that the two sides’ willingness to sign the declaration on Friday will generate momentum.

The U.S. official stated that civilian groups are expected to participate later in the negotiations. The Forces for Freedom and Change, a coalition of political parties that support democratic rule, referred to the declaration as “an important first step towards ending the war” and urged the forces to adhere to it.

On Thursday, residents of Halfaya, an entry point to the capital Khartoum, heard warplanes circling over Khartoum and its neighboring cities Bahri and Omdurman, but the fighting appeared to be less intense than on Wednesday.

ALSO READ: Kenyan Evacuees from Sudan War Return Home

Publicly, neither side has demonstrated a willingness to make concessions. To end the conflict that suddenly erupted last month. Threatening to plunge Sudan into civil war, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people and a humanitarian crisis.

Previous ceasefire agreements have been repeatedly violated. Leaving civilians to navigate a terrifying landscape of chaos and bombardment. With failing electricity and water, scant food, and a collapsing health care system.

ALLOW BURIAL OF THE DEAD

The senior State Department official stated that the declaration signed early on Friday morning. Aims to increase the flow of humanitarian aid and initiate the restoration of water and power services.

The official stated that mediators hope it will be possible to “arrange for the withdrawal of security forces from hospitals and clinics and the respectful burial of the deceased.”

According to the World Health Organization, over 600 people have been killed and over 5,000 injured in the conflict. The Health Ministry reported that at least 450 people perished in the western Darfur region.

U.N. statistics indicate that many have fled Khartoum and Darfur. Uprooting 700,000 people within the country and sending 150,000 as refugees to neighboring states.

At a Geneva human rights meeting, Western nations condemned violations by both sides. But Sudan’s envoy stated that the conflict was an “internal affair.”

Sudan’s Rival Forces Agree to Protect Civilians, No Ceasefire Yet

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Thursday, Sudanese fighter jets attacked paramilitary positions in Khartoum, while fighting and looting flared in Darfur despite the army and a rival force extending a ceasefire agreement.

In the final hours of a cease-fire that had been repeatedly violated and was set to expire at midnight (2200 GMT), the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced a 72-hour extension in response to Saudi Arabian and American pressure.

Since fighting broke out on April 15 between the Sudanese army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary RSF led by his deputy-turned-rival, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, there have been multiple attempts at a ceasefire. Everyone has failed.

Foreign representatives attempting to end the fighting hailed the extension of the cease-fire agreement and urged its full implementation.

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In a joint statement, the African Union, the United Nations, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States praised the parties’ “readiness to engage in dialogue toward establishing a more durable cessation of hostilities and ensuring unimpeded humanitarian access.”

They stated that doing so could be followed by a de-escalation plan outlined in a 20 April peace plan.

“We welcome the announcement by the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces to extend the ceasefire in Sudan for an additional 72 hours,” tweeted U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Extreme shelling exterior

Witnesses reported that on Thursday, warplanes flew over the northern suburbs of the capital while fighters on the ground exchanged artillery and heavy machine gun fire.

“I hear intense shelling outside my home,” a Khartoum resident told AFP anonymously on Thursday evening.

The fighting has resulted in at least 512 deaths and 4,193 injuries, according to the health ministry, but the actual death toll is likely to be significantly higher.

More than two-thirds of hospitals are inoperable due to shelling, according to the doctors’ union, which reported at least eight civilian deaths in Khartoum on Wednesday alone.

According to the World Food Program, the violence could cause millions more to suffer from hunger in a country where 15 million people, or one-third of the population, require assistance.

Thursday from Port Sudan, Abdou Dieng, the U.N. aid chief in Sudan, stated that he was “extremely worried about the situation,” with food supplies being a major concern.

Violence outside of Khartoum

In addition, fighting has erupted in the provinces, especially in the war-ravaged western region of Darfur.

According to witnesses, fighting continued for a second day in the capital of West Darfur, El Geneina. With pro-democracy medics reporting the death of a doctor.

“We are unable to assess the extent of the damage because we are unable to leave our homes due to safety concerns,” said a resident who requested anonymity for safety reasons.

According to the U.N.’s humanitarian agency, fighting in West Darfur has deprived an estimated 50,000 severely malnourished children of food.

The violence has confined a large number of civilians to their homes. Where they have endured severe food, water, and power shortages.

Those who could afford it have fled the country via a treacherous and lengthy journey.

Egypt announced on Thursday that at least 14,000 Sudanese refugees and 2,000 people from 50 other countries had crossed the border since fighting broke out.

After entering Egypt, Ashraf, a 50-year-old refugee, told the opposing generals, “Stop the fighting.” “This is your conflict, not that of the Sudanese people.”

At least 20,000 people have fled to Chad, 4,000 to South Sudan, 3,500 to Ethiopia, and 3,000 to the Central African Republic. According to the United Nations, which has warned that up to 270,000 people could flee if fighting continues.

War crimes suspect escapes

Foreign governments have scrambled to evacuate thousands of their citizens. And British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly urged Britons to flee while they still have the opportunity.

The latest Saudi evacuation ship docked in the Red Sea port of Jeddah on Thursday. Bringing the total number of people evacuated by Riyadh to 2,744. With only 119 of them being Saudis, according to the foreign ministry.

As lawlessness has engulfed Sudan, there have been multiple jailbreaks. Including from the high-security Kober prison where former dictator Omar al-Bashir’s top aides were being held.

Ahmed Harun, wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes. And crimes against humanity in Darfur, is among the fugitives.

Harun’s escape sparked concerns regarding the participation of Bashir loyalists in the ongoing conflict.

The army reported that Bashir, 79, was in a military hospital before the outbreak of fighting.

Daglo’s RSF originated from the Janjaweed militia. Which is accused of committing atrocities during Bashir’s mid-2000s brutal suppression of ethnic minority rebels in Darfur.

Bashir was overthrown by the military in April 2019. In response to civilian mass protests that raised hopes for a democratic transition.

The two generals seized power jointly in a coup in 2021. But later fell out over the planned integration of the RSF into the regular army.

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