Sudan’s warring sides commit to protect civilians
GOOBJOOG NEWS | KHARTOUM: The two warring factions in the Sudan conflict, Sudan National Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have both agreed to ensure safety of civilians and ensure movement of humanitarian aid.
This comes amidst an elusive ceasefire, after a week of talks in Jaddah Saudi Arabia where the two sides agreed to sign a short-term ceasefire to create room for further talks.
“The two sides are quite far apart,” a senior US State Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity told Reuters news agency. “Negotiators working with Saudi and US mediators set a goal of reaching a ceasefire deal in up to 10 days,” the official added.
On Thursday, clashes were reported in the Khartoum within Halfaya and Omdurman at the outskirts of the Capital where residents reported hearing warplanes fly above the city.
However, neither of the sides has publicly shown signs of agreeing to de-escalate the tension and end the conflict that has been ongoing since last month, threatening to plunge the country into a civil war.
Previous ceasefires have been violated leaving civilians caught in between crossfires and navigating terrifying landscape of firefights and aerial bombardments amidst dwindling food, water and medical supplies and power outages.
According to the senior US Department official, the latest declaration by the two parties in the conflict to extend the ceasefire seek to improve the flow of humanitarian relief and enable the restoration of water and electricity services.
The official added the mediators also hope to convince the two sides to withdraw fighters from hospitals and enable burial of those killed in the conflict.
The United Nations estimates that over 600 people have been killed and more than 5,000 injured in the fighting.
Many have fled Khartoum and Darfur, leading to 700,000 people being internally displaced and 150,000 refugees entering neighboring countries.
- By Fauxile Kibet