Amid US-Saudi Welcome

Sudanese army and Rapid Support Forces agree to extend truce

The headquarters of Sudan's Central Bureau of Statistics was burned south of Khartoum during the clashes. AFP

Sudan's army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have agreed to extend the five-day humanitarian truce that began yesterday evening, amid a US-Saudi welcome. Sudan's warring parties agreed to extend the fragile ceasefire in their battle for control of the country came after the two main international mediators, Saudi Arabia and the United States, indicated they were impatient with continued truce violations. The five-day extension of the ceasefire between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces was announced in a joint statement late Monday by Saudi Arabia and the United States. "The extension will provide time for further humanitarian assistance, the restoration of basic services, and the discussion of a possible long-term extension," the statement said. The U.S. Office of African Affairs said in a statement, "Agreement between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to extend the ceasefire agreement for five days." "Saudi Arabia and the United States welcome the extension of the ceasefire agreement between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces." The truce, which both sides accuse each other of breaking was due to expire on Monday by 19:45 GMT. But Saudi Arabia, the United States and Sudanese political parties have called on both sides of the crisis over the past two days to extend the truce to open humanitarian corridors for the population.

Ahead of the truce extension, residents said they heard violent and continuous clashes in parts of Khartoum yesterday.

Clashes continued from Sunday to Monday in the south and west of Omdurman, one of the three neighbouring cities that make up Khartoum state, and residents in the south of the capital on the other side of the Nile River said clashes took place late on Sunday.

The power struggle between Sudan's military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted on April 15, killing hundreds and fleeing nearly 1.4 million people.

Before extending the truce, Saudi Arabia and the United States said on Sunday that both the army and the Rapid Support Forces had repeatedly violated the truce, obstructed humanitarian aid and the restoration of basic services, knowing that the two countries are monitoring the truce remotely and requested its extension.

A statement issued by the two countries late on Sunday spoke of ceasefire violations, including air strikes, the seizure of medical supplies by the army, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) occupying civilian homes and engaging in looting.

"Both sides were informed that they are committed to facilitating humanitarian access and restoring essential services for the benefit of the Sudanese people," the statement added, noting that the two sides were nevertheless "stationed for further escalation."

Across Sudan, the health ministry said the fighting had killed more than 700 people, but the real number was likely to be much higher.

The ministry separately recorded up to 510 deaths in El Geneina, one of the main cities in the western Darfur region, which was already suffering from conflict and displacement.

As heavy fighting paused under the truce, clashes and airstrikes continued sporadically.

The United Nations and aid groups say that despite the truce, they are struggling to obtain approvals and security guarantees to deliver aid and aid teams to Khartoum and other places where it is needed.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) said in a joint report that "Haiti, the Sahel region (Burkina Faso and Mali) and Sudan have been raised to the highest levels of concern" for the availability of food to the population. "This is due to severe restrictions on the movement of people and goods in Haiti as well as in Burkina Faso and Mali, as well as the recent outbreak of conflict in Sudan," they added.

The report warned that Sudan's power dispute, which erupted in April, was likely to have "significant repercussions for neighbouring countries."

• Sudanese Ministry of Health: Fighting has killed more than 700 people.