Over 400 killed, 3,500 injured as Sudanese Army and paramilitary forces continue fighting: WHO

The violent civil war between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary forces has led to the death of more than 400 while 3,500 have been injured, the World Health Organization (WHO) informed on Friday. UNICEF added that at least nine children were among the dead and more than 50 had been wounded.

"413 people have died and 3,551 people have been injured," WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told reporters at a press briefing in Geneva.

Earlier, the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) and World Food Programme (WFP) said that between 10,000 to 20,000 people had fled to the neighbouring country of Chad to seek refuge as the violence escalated.

The data has been released as Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed to a 72-hour “humanitarian truce” from 6:00 (local time), on Friday (April 21) coinciding with the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

“The truce coincides with the blessed Eid al-Fitr...to open humanitarian corridors to evacuate citizens and give them the opportunity to greet their families,” RSF wrote on its Twitter account.

Army chief hasnot accepted ceasefire

Meanwhile, Army Chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has not yet indicated that his forces will be agreeing to the ceasefire announced. Burhan posted a message on Friday about Eid but refrained from talking about any ceasefire.

"We mourn all the victims of my country and pray for the recovery of those injured and pray to God that this occasion of Eid returns in safety and peace," said the army chief, in a pre-recorded statement posted on Facebook.

According to the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors, as soon as the Eid celebrations began overnight, the forces of two rival generals engaged in intense street fights in the capital city of Khartoum.

The fighting broke out on Saturday last week and since then has escalated only. The two warring factions were allies once as they seized power together in 2021. However, the proposed integration of RSF into the army did not sit well with the former.

This led to a power struggle and has since metamorphosed into a full-blown civil war. Khartoum has witnessed the fiercest battles with the fighting spreading across the country as well.

World leaders have called for an immediate end to violence but the two parties are unwilling to drop the weapons.

(With inputs from agencies)

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