In West Darfur state, Adam Issa told AFP by phone, “We do not trust the conflicting parties (…) We want a final ceasefire, not a temporary truce.” “The most important thing is not only announcing a truce, but respecting it and ensuring safe passages for food and aid,” said a resident of Khartoum.
It is expected that a cease-fire in Sudan will enter into force on Monday evening between the two conflicting parties over power, who continue to fight until the moment, despite their affirmation of their intention to respect the armistice.
On Sunday, the United States and Saudi Arabia announced in a joint statement that representatives of the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces had agreed to a one-week ceasefire, starting at 19:45 GMT on Monday.
Both sides announced in a statement that they wanted to respect this truce, which was welcomed by the United Nations, the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). But during more than five weeks of war, the two sides pledged to cease-fire more than ten times, but it was quickly violated.
In West Darfur state, Adam Issa told AFP by phone, “We do not trust the conflicting parties (…) We want a final ceasefire, not a temporary truce.”
“The most important thing is not only announcing a truce, but respecting it and ensuring safe passages for food and aid,” said a resident of Khartoum.
Since April 15, Sudan has been witnessing a conflict between the army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, which has killed about a thousand people, most of them civilians, and prompted more than a million Sudanese to flee or seek refuge in neighboring countries.
Doctor review
The ongoing war left heavy losses in the infrastructure, as most hospitals went out of service, whether in Khartoum or the western Darfur region, where the fighting is also intensifying.
Those who could not escape from the capital’s population of nearly five million were forced to stay in their homes without water or electricity.
In a country with closed banks and supply convoys disrupted by airstrikes, artillery fire and heavy blockbuster battles in residential neighbourhoods, food shortages are worsening as most agro-food factories have been destroyed or looted.
Humanitarian teams have been calling for weeks to secure safe passages to transport medicines, fuel and foodstuffs, in an attempt to provide some services that have been deteriorating for decades.
On Sunday, United Nations Humanitarian Affairs Chief Martin Griffiths renewed his call for “the safe delivery of humanitarian assistance”, while more than 25 million Sudanese – more than half of the approximately 45 million population – need aid.
And if the war continues, an additional million Sudanese may seek refuge in neighboring countries, according to the United Nations. These countries fear the spread of fighting infection.
The joint US-Saudi statement confirmed that “contrary to the previous ceasefire, the agreement reached in Jeddah was signed by the two parties, and it will be supported by an internationally supported ceasefire monitoring mechanism” from Saudi Arabia, the United States and the international community.
“We hope this time that the mediators will monitor the implementation” of the agreement, Hussein Mohamed, who resides in Bahri, north of Khartoum, told AFP, noting that this truce might provide “a good opportunity for my sick mother to see a doctor.”
For her part, Sawsan Muhammad hopes to see her family again, telling AFP, “They live in the north and I live in the south. I haven’t seen them since April 5.”
The first Sudanese director at the Cannes Film Festival
In the Vatican, Pope Francis called on “the international community to do its utmost (…) to alleviate the suffering of the population”.
Sudan also reached the Cannes Film Festival, where director Mohamed Kordofani was the first Sudanese director to compete with his film at the International Festival in its seventy-sixth edition.
Kordofani said he was “honoured, proud and happy (…) but also guilty” because “there are people trying to escape bombs while I’m standing on the red carpet.”
The two former allies took full control of power in the 2021 coup, during which they overthrew the civilians who had been sharing power with them since the fall of former President Omar al-Bashir in 2019. However, differences soon began between them over the issue of integrating these forces into the army.
And on Friday, the army commander, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, dismissed the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Muhammad Hamdan Daglo, from the position of deputy head of the Sovereignty Council (currently the highest political authority in the country) and decided to appoint Malik Aqar to the position. He also appointed three of his allies to high military positions.
In 2020, Malik Agar, along with the leaders of the rebel movements, signed a peace agreement with Khartoum, and he has been a member of the Sovereignty Council since February 2021.
And he announced in a statement issued on Saturday that he was determined to seek to “stop this war” and push for negotiations.
The UN envoy to Sudan, Volker Perthes, is expected to deliver a speech to the UN Security Council on Monday.
