Sudanese army, RSF agree to extend truce by 72 hours

Sudan's warring factions, the army and the paramilitary, announced Thursday that they would extend the ceasefire truce by 72 hours.

However, despite this, the violence once more erupted in the western region of Darfur and the Sudanese capital of Khartoum.

Hundreds dead in violence

During the two weeks of fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), hundreds of civilians have lost their lives and tens of thousands have fled the region.

Both factions joined hands in October 2021 to overthrow the Sudanese government in a coup, but they are now embroiled in a fight for power.

The volatile situation has stalled an internationally supported democratic transition.

The previous three-day truce, which was set to expire on Thursday night, has been extended by three days through Sunday. The military maintained on Thursday that it would uphold the cease-fire unilaterally.

For the first time, the RSF responded by announcing on Thursday that it had also agreed on a new 72-hour truce beginning on Friday.

"We also welcome their readiness to engage in dialogue toward establishing a more durable cessation of hostilities and ensuring unimpeded humanitarian access," UN, the African Union, African trade bloc IGAD and the so-called quad countries of the US, UK, Saudi Arabia and UAE said in a statement.

White House expresses concern

The White House expressed its serious concern about the ceasefire violations. It advised Americans to leave within 24 to 48 hours and warned that the situation may become worse at any time.

Since April 15, there have been 512 confirmed deaths and about 4,200 injuries as a result of the violence.

Food scarcity

Abdou Dieng, the chief U.N. aid officer in Sudan, stated that there is "very little that can be done" in terms of providing aid to the suffering.

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Dieng told reporters in New York over the phone from Port Sudan, where the majority of senior U.N. employees had moved, that "we're extremely worried about the food supply."

According to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, 16,000 individuals, including 14,000 nationals of Sudan, have entered Egypt. As per UN, some 20,000 refugees have already entered Chad.

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