In Sudan, the army and the paramilitary RSF militia appear to be breaking the ceasefire. Units are said to have fought in Khartoum and the West Darfur region. People are leaving the country in their thousands.
Although the parties to the conflict in Sudan had agreed on a ceasefire, fighting continues to shake the country. Army fighter jets flew attacks on suburbs of the capital Khartoum, while soldiers and fighters from the paramilitary RSF militia fought on the ground, eyewitnesses told AFP.
Also fighting in West Darfur
The situation is also critical in the West Darfur region. Heavy fighting was reported for the second day in a row. Eyewitnesses in the regional capital Geneina reported fighting between the military and the RSF. The army announced that there were ethnic conflicts in the state.
According to reports, there has been violence between the African-born Masalit and Arab-born groups. The United Nations reported killings, looting and arson in Geneina on Wednesday and said 50,000 severely malnourished children could no longer be cared for because of the fighting.
Ceasefire to be extended until Sunday
In Sudan, army units led by military ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan have been fighting the RSF militia led by his deputy Mohammed Hamdan Daglo for almost two weeks. At least 512 people have been killed and 4,193 injured in the fighting, according to the Sudanese Ministry of Health.
Since Tuesday, a ceasefire has actually been in effect between the conflicting parties, which was negotiated with the mediation of the USA and Saudi Arabia. According to information from the Reuters news agency, this should be extended until April 30th. Both parties to the conflict had agreed on this.
New negotiation initiative
Perthes told the BBC the Sudanese armed forces had agreed to negotiations in Juba, the capital of neighboring South Sudan. The renewed negotiation initiative was organized by the Northeast African regional association Igad. There has been no response from the RSF so far.
The United States had previously tried to extend the ceasefire. This was confirmed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington. The current agreement, while imperfect, has reduced violence, he said. “Apparently that has created somewhat better conditions for the people of Sudan.”
16,000 people flee to Egypt
Nevertheless, the ongoing fighting is having an impact on neighboring African countries. According to the authorities in Egypt, 16,000 people from Sudan have crossed the border into the neighboring country.
According to figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 3,500 people have fled to Eritrea so far. The United Nations also estimates that up to 270,000 people could flee the violence to neighboring Chad and South Sudan.
Countries push evacuations
Meanwhile, some countries continued to evacuate foreign nationals from Sudan. The French Foreign Ministry said France had evacuated 398 people by ship. In addition to five French people, there were also Germans and people from a total of 50 nations.
In an urgent appeal, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly urged Britons remaining in Sudan to use evacuation flights while they were still available. “While the ceasefire is in place, there are plans and capacity to get you out,” Cleverly said on Sky News. However, Great Britain can no longer guarantee this once the ceasefire has ended. London had evacuated nearly 900 people on eight flights from Sudan since Tuesday, according to the British Foreign Office.
China also sent its navy to Sudan for an evacuation operation. “So far, more than 1,300 Chinese citizens have been brought to safety,” the Foreign Ministry in Beijing said on Thursday. In addition, people from five other countries were taken away. Other countries asked China for help with the evacuation.