Sudan's capital reports heavy clashes hours before ceasefire expiry
1 min read 29 May 2023, 01:17 PM ISTSudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been locked in a power struggle that erupted into conflict on April 15, killing hundreds and driving nearly 1.4 million people from their homes.
PremiumHours before the expiry of a shaky ceasefire deal that had brought some respite from a six-week-old conflict, heavy clashes again broke out in parts of Sudan's capital, the residents informed the news agency Reuters as fighting continued from Sunday to Monday in the south and west of Omdurman.
Across the River Nile in southern Khartoum, residents also reported clashes late on Sunday.
Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been locked in a power struggle that erupted into conflict on April 15, killing hundreds and driving nearly 1.4 million people from their homes.
Both sides have said they are considering extending a deal for a week-long ceasefire brokered by Saudi Arabia and the United States that was designed to allow for the distribution of aid and is due to expire at 9.45 p.m. (19:45 GMT) local time on Monday.
Saudi Arabia and the United States said on Sunday that both the army and the RSF had repeatedly violated the truce and had impeded the delivery of humanitarian access and restoration of essential services.
Sudan’s warring sides also held discussions earlier this month that aims to firm up a shaky cease-fire after three weeks of fierce fighting that has killed hundreds and pushed the African country to the brink of collapse.
The talks were part of a diplomatic initiative proposed by the kingdom and the US that aims to stop the fighting, which has turned Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, and other urban areas into battlefields and pushed hundreds of thousands from their homes.
This came after concerted efforts by Riyadh and other international powers to pressure the warring sides in Sudan to the negotiating table. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan welcomed the rival sides to Jeddah, saying on Twitter that he hopes the talks would restore “security and stability" in Sudan.
(With Reuters inputs)
