Sudan: Fighting resumes after 24-hour ceasefire expires; Egypt toughens visa rules

Heavy clashes, gunfire, and shelling resumed in the Sudanese capital after the end of a 24-hour ceasefire between the two warring factions, on Sunday (June 11), as some residents have also reported air strikes.

The fighting that broke out between the Sudanese army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) chief Mohamed Hamdan Daglo has been going on for nearly two months now, and has since killed thousands and displaced millions.

Meanwhile, Egypt has announced a new policy which would require all citizens of neighbouring Sudan to obtain visas before entering their border, said the foreign ministry, on Saturday, citing a crackdown on “illegal activities” including fraud.

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What is happening in Sudan?

In a series of attempted and failed truces and ceasefires, the one that recently expired offered some respite to the residents in the capital city of Khartoum who were able to leave their houses and stock up on food and other essentials.

Additionally, people in the country have also said that the fighting has intensified in recent weeks including in the densely populated neighbourhood of Haj Youssef in Bahri.Bahri is one of three adjoining cities, along with Khartoum and Omdurman.

Notably, the ceasefire had been announced by the United States and Saudi Arabia mediators who said if they failed to adhere to it, it may break off mediation efforts.

This comes as several ceasefire agreements have been violated and both sides blamed each other for doing so. The mediators said they “share the frustration of the Sudanese people about the uneven implementation of previous ceasefires”.

Fighting continues after brief respite

The ceasefire ended at 6:00 am (local time) and as per reports only minutes later, on Sunday, the capital city was rocked with explosions from shelling and clashes. The artillery fire resumed in the north of Omdurman while clashes erupted in southern and central Khartoum, reported Reuters, citing residents.

The one-day lull was “like a dream” that evaporated, said Nasreddin Ahmed, a resident of south Khartoum, as per AFP. Similarly, Musab Saleh, a 38-year-old resident of southern Khartoum, said that the “truce made us relax a bit, but the war and fear are returning today,” reported Reuters.

Egypt toughens visa restrictions for Sudan

The Egyptian foreign ministry announced new visa restrictions for Sudanese citizens which has reversed the longstanding exemption for children, women and elderly men. According to the local monitoring group, at least 1,800 people have died due to the fighting, while more than 1.9 million have been displaced.

Thousands of people have fled Sudan and taken refuge in neighbouring countries,including Egypt where more than 200,000 people are reported to have fled since the conflict began. As per the new rules, those Sudanese who had previously been exempted from visas which included women of all ages, children under 16 and anyone over 50.

However, the ministry has stressed that the new requirements were not designed to “prevent or limit” the entry of Sudanese nationals but rather to stop “illegal activities by individuals and groups on the Sudanese side of the border, who forged entry visas” for profit.

It added, “Egypt has welcomed more than 200,000 Sudanese citizens since the start of the crisis…adding to the approximately five million Sudanese citizens who were already present (before the conflict).”

(With inputs from agencies)

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