Sudan's warring factions agree to 72-hour ceasefire

The two warring sides in Sudan, the country's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), have agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire from Tuesday, 10:00 PM GMT (Wednesday, 3:30 AM, IST), according to the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Blinken said an agreement was reached between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after 48 hours of negotiations.

An impending observance of ceasefire by the two sides is expected to leave a window for the evacuation of foreign nationals stuck in the conflict-zone. But in the initial hours,a wider sense of skepticism has been expressed over the latest ceasefire announcementsince two of thepreviously announced ceasefires were not respected by either side.

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At least 400 people have been killed since fighting erupted on April 15.

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UN Secretary General António Guterres has warned the clashes in Sudan may cause a "catastrophic conflagration" of violence that may amplify deep into Africa in the immediate future.

The RSF said they affirmed their "commitment to a complete ceasefire during the truce period". The army did not immediately comment on the development.

ALSO WATCH |Sudan Conflict: Diplomats and foreign nationals evacuated

The locals and the foreigners living in the capital Khartoum have been told to stay indoors. The food and water supplies continue to run low as the continuous explosions from the conflict have hit key infrastructure such as water pipes.

A host of countries are strugglingto evacuate their diplomats and civilians as fighting continuesin thedensely populated parts of the capital Khartoum.

Earlier on Monday, Blinken said that some convoys trying to move people out were faced with "robbery and looting".

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The US, Blinken added, was looking at potentially resuming its diplomatic presence in Sudan. However, the conditions in the country are"very challenging".

Sudan is suffering an "internet blackout" with connectivity at 2 per centof ordinary levels, monitoring group NetBlocks was quoted as saying by the BBC.

In Khartoum, the internet has been down since Sunday night.

So far, thousands of people, including the Sudanese citizens have fled the country since the onset of the conflict.

Sudan conflict

The Sudanese army and the RSF were jointly running the country since October 2021 after deposing President Omar al-Bashir.

They banded together a Sovereign Council, led by Army Chief General Abdel al-Burhan and co-led by RSF Chief General Mohamed Hamdan.

The Sudanese army proposed RSF's integration into itself within a timeline of two years, a move RSF wanted to delay for 10 years.

The army also supports the transfer of power to a civilian government, another point of contention between the two erstwhile Sovereign Council members.

The RSF chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo claims to have seized most of the official sites in the capital Khartoum. So far, the RSF appears to be calling the diplomatic shots as one seen to be purportedly in control of Africa's third largest nation.

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