His army Sudan announced tonight that he has agreed to three-day ceasefire, starting today so the Sudanese people can celebrate the Muslim holiday of ‘Eid al-Fitrwith which it concludes the holy month of Ramadan. “The armed forces hope the rebels will abide by all terms of the ceasefire and will cease military actions that would obstruct it,” the army said in its statement.
Earlier today, the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been fighting the army for almost a week, also announced it had agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire.
But fierce fighting continued in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, shortly after the army announced a three-day ceasefire starting today, according to a witness cited by Reuters and relayed by the Athens News Agency. Sporadic airstrikes were also heard, the same source added.
According to AFP, street fighting was earlier taking place in the capital between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries. The fighting has killed 413 people and injured 3,551 others, the World Health Organization said.
The doctors’ union announced that 70% of hospitals in the war zones have been shut down, as many have been severely damaged by the shelling. Four hospitals were hit today in al-Obeid, a town 350 kilometers south of Khartoum.
In Darfur, one of Sudan’s poorest provinces, “the situation is catastrophic,” said a MSF member. “There are so many patients that we even treat them on the floor, in the corridors, because we simply don’t have beds,” he described.
USA: No coordinated evacuation planned
From Washington, the State Department’s deputy spokesman said tonight that American citizens in Sudan should not expect a coordinated evacuation. Briefing reporters, Vedant Patel said that since Khartoum airport is closed and there is uncertainty about the security situation, citizens should take care of themselves how to stay safe.
“Switzerland and the European Union are considering ways to remove their citizens from Khartoum”
Switzerland announced today that it is considering ways to evacuate its citizens as well as some of its embassy staff to Sudan amid ongoing clashes between the military and paramilitary forces.
The foreign ministry said nearly 100 Swiss citizens are registered in Sudan while others are believed to be visiting the Red Sea region as tourists.
Bern is in contact with other countries about a possible joint evacuation of citizens but stressed that a number of conditions must be met, including guarantees of safe airspace.
At the same time, the European Union is intensifying contacts to reach a truce in Sudan and for the possibility of evacuating by land transportation the nearly 1,500 citizens trapped in the fighting in Khartoum, a European official announced today.
“Removal (of citizens) will not be possible from the airport, which is closed, but by land transport and we need a three-day truce to carry out such an operation,” he told AFP, as reported by the Athens News Agency.
“The security conditions are not met to consider such an operation at this time, but we will be ready when the time is right“, he added. The operation is coordinated by France and Greece, he clarified.
The situation in Sudan will be discussed during the EU foreign ministers’ council on Monday in Luxembourg.
The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, is intensifying contacts with the leaders of the countries in the region. He met with the secretary general of the Arab League and with the Egyptian foreign minister.
Fierce fighting is raging between the regular army of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan’s de facto leader after the 2021 coup, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces of General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
The EU has a delegation in Khartoum, and seven countries — France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Greece and the Czech Republic — have delegations in the Sudanese capital.
“It is up to African organizations to work towards achieving a ceasefire. The stability of the region is at risk”the European source insisted.
The warring sides have ignored several calls for a truce to mark the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Source: News Beast
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