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A United States-brokered ceasefire in Sudan appeared shaky on Tuesday as gunfire and loud explosions erupted in Khartoum, the capital, even as thousands continued to flee the conflict that has torn Africa’s third-largest country apart for more than a week.
In pockets of Khartoum, residents reported low-flying warplanes and loud explosions near their homes. Many people are hoping for a quiet day that will allow them to get access to food and water or escape the city altogether.
The clashes occurred just hours after Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken announced that the warring parties – the Sudanese Army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Force, led by Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan – had agreed to a 72-hour national ceasefire . During the pause, the United States hopes to engage with other countries in a peace process that will end hostilities permanently.
Although the two rival groups said that they had finally agreed to a cease-fire, on Tuesday morning it did not appear to be held, with residents reporting gunfire and shelling in the capital. Paramilitary forces also accused the army attack his position near the presidential palace in Khartoum.
The broken truce is the latest in a series of proposed ceasefires that the two warring sides have failed to implement since violence erupted on April 15 – although a lull in violence during the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday allowed for the evacuation of diplomatic personnel. from the country.
The conflict has claimed lives in Sudan, with more than 400 people killed and 3,700 others injured as the two generals vie for control of the country, according to the World Health Organization. Tens of thousands have fled their homes and poured into neighboring countries including Chad, Egypt and South Sudan.
Foreign governments have evacuated embassies and their citizens by air or in long convoys by road to Egypt or ports on the Red Sea. The United Nations Mission in Sudan said on Monday that members of its international staff had arrived in the city of Port Sudan and would move to the neighboring country. He said Volker Perthes, the organization’s envoy to Sudan, would remain in the country.
On Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak from England declare British passport holders will be evacuated from Sudan, with priority given to parents and families with children. France has evacuated more than 500 people, including around 200 French citizens, President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday.
It’s constant contribute reports.
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