Although there has been a ceasefire in Sudan since Monday, fighting continues to flare up in the country. US Secretary of State Blinken threatened to impose sanctions on the military government and the RSF militia if the fighting didn’t stop.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has threatened the conflicting parties in Sudan with sanctions if they do not comply with the agreed ceasefire. Those responsible would be held accountable “through our sanctions and other means at our disposal”.
The weeks of fighting in the East African country are tragic, senseless and devastating, Blinken said in a video message released by the US embassy in Khartoum.
$245 million in humanitarian aid
The ceasefire, he said, is intended to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered and to restore basic services. In this regard, the US State Department announced that the United States is providing an additional US$245 million in humanitarian assistance to Sudan and neighboring countries.
“These funds will enable our humanitarian partners to respond to the new needs arising from the current conflict,” it said in a statement. The money, which was pledged last week, is intended to support, among other things, people who have had to flee Sudan or have been displaced within the country, it said.
Committee to watch over ceasefire
A long-simmering power struggle in the country escalated violently on April 15. The army, commanded by de facto President Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, is fighting the paramilitary RSF militia of his former deputy, Mohammed Hamdan Daglo. The two generals seized power together in 2021, but later fell out.
Repeatedly agreed ceasefires have repeatedly proved to be fragile. Even after a new seven-day ceasefire came into force on Monday through mediation by the United States, residents reported fighting again. Shots and explosions could be heard in Omdurman and fighting had broken out again around the military headquarters in the neighboring capital Khartoum, they told the AP news agency. With the new ceasefire, the parties to the conflict agreed for the first time on a committee to monitor compliance and report violations.
UN: 25 million people at risk
According to the UN, 700 people have already died in the course of the civil war, and hundreds of thousands have already fled the fighting. The United Nations World Food Program had temporarily suspended its work in the country because of the fighting.
There is a nationwide shortage of water, food and other basic necessities. According to UN figures, 25 of the 45 million Sudanese are dependent on humanitarian aid as a result of the war.