Last night's truce in Sudan lasted very little, where again this morning artillery shells are heard and continuous explosions take place in Khartoum: the capital wrapped in the black smoke of the clashes, is barricaded by massive fighting between the two rival armies, clashes that also take place in other centers of the country such as Darfur.
Almost everything is now missing: food, water, medicines for a population of 5 million inhabitants only in Khartoum forced for 7 days now not to leave the house so as not to end up under the crossstrokes between the two militias. The UN speaks of over 600 victims and thousands of wounded.
Hospitals, even those run by NGOs, are exhausted and many are trying to flee in search of areas less affected by the conflict. According to UNHCR, some 20,000 mostly women and children have sought refuge in neighbouring Chad. To assist civilians, the International Committee of the Red Cross called for "immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access."
The fragile 3-day truce agreed last night between the armed forces was immediately violated, the appeal of the international community for a ceasefire even on the occasion of the end of Ramadan was useless.
The Ministry of Health reports that there are now over 600 victims and 3,500 wounded in the clashes that began on April 15. Among the dead there are 4 UN aid workers and an American citizen, according to US sources. According to UNICEF, a dozen children are among the victims.
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People flee Sudan
The situation worsens by the hour, foreign countries that have representations on the territory now try to organize the evacuation of their staff in embassies and their compatriots.
"The commander-in-chief of the Sudanese armed forces, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, received phone calls from the leaders of several countries asking to facilitate and guarantee the evacuation of their citizens and their diplomatic missions from the country, and agreed to provide the necessary assistance to ensure it": the Sudanese army itself reports on Twitter.
Everyone is ready for evacuation but it is certainly not an easy thing to organize, we need safe humanitarian corridors, also because the international airport of Khartoum, the largest in Sudan, is still closed together with the airspace.
After the United States - which would have about 19000,<> compatriots in the country - and Europe, even the Saudi Foreign Ministry has started preparations for the evacuation of Saudi citizens and other countries from Sudan to Saudi Arabia. And the United Kingdom is also organizing the repatriation of diplomats and other British citizens, and similar announcements have also been made by France and China.
In the last two days, several countries including Japan, Spain, South Korea and the United States have announced the deployment of aircraft to Djibouti, about 1,700 kilometers from the Sudanese capital, from where the evacuation will be coordinated.
In Sudan there would also be a couple of hundred Italians. The Foreign Ministry advised them to stay in their homes. "The government is doing everything and will do everything to ensure the safety and security of our fellow citizens" in Sudan, Tajani said. We are working to reach a lasting truce," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani wrote on Facebook.