conflicts
New ceasefire agreed in Sudan for 72 hours
Black smoke rises over the Sudanese capital Khartoum on April 22, 2023. Since the beginning of the violent power struggle, there have already been several ceasefires – for short periods. photo
© Marwan Ali/AP
Since the beginning of the violent conflict for power in the East African country, there have been short pauses in arms several times. Now the fighting should rest again. Meanwhile, millions of people are fleeing.
In Sudan, a 72-hour ceasefire between the Sudanese army and the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is to apply from this Sunday. Saudi Arabia and the USA, which mediate in the conflict, announced this at night. The ceasefire is expected to come into effect in the morning local time. The parties to the conflict wanted to refrain from military action over the three days and allow humanitarian supplies. Since the beginning of the violent power struggle, there have been several short-term ceasefires.
In Sudan, the RSF of former deputy ruler Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, a quasi-army that emerged from militias and has tens of thousands of fighters, has been fighting the armed forces led by de facto head of state Abdel Fattah al-Burhan for two months now. The two generals seized power together in 2019 and 2021, but later fell out.
According to the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM), almost 2.2 million people have fled since the beginning of the power struggle. The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that nearly 25 million people in the country needed humanitarian assistance. Four million children and pregnant or breastfeeding mothers are acutely undernourished.