Al-Jazeera – Agencies:
The situation deteriorated significantly in the Sudanese arena yesterday, a few hours after the new truce entered into force in Sudan, and the sound of shelling and clashing with heavy weapons was heard in Khartoum. With a flight of warplanes.
And the state of North Kordofan announced the imposition of a partial curfew at night. The two parties to the conflict exchanged accusations between them, as the Rapid Support Forces accused the Sudanese army of not adhering to the terms of the armistice, while the Sudanese army accused the Rapid Support Forces of deploying snipers in separate areas of Khartoum.
The Sudanese army said in a statement that it had monitored the movement of military convoys towards the capital, Khartoum, and added: “The rebellion has committed several violations since the beginning of the armistice. We reserve our right to deal with serious violations.”
Before that, the Rapid Support Forces said that army aircraft are still flying in the three cities of Khartoum, and added: “We have committed ourselves to the terms of the armistice to open humanitarian corridors for civilians and foreign residents…breaking the armistice confirms the existence of more than one decision center within the army command.”
And US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken had announced an agreement between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, which includes a cease-fire between them.
Meanwhile, fleeing residents say the capital, Khartoum, has become a ghost town filled with the stench of smoke and death after fighting that included air strikes, artillery and fighting in the heart of the city. A resident of Khartoum said that many people were unable to flee due to the high price of gasoline amid a massive shortage, and some of the citizens who fled were robbed and killed, and leaving Khartoum has become an obsession for its five million residents, in light of the power outages and lack of supplies and water.
However, leaving is not easy, especially in light of the need for large quantities of fuel to cover the distance towards the Egyptian border in the north (about a thousand kilometers), or to reach Port Sudan (850 kilometers to the east) in the hope of moving from it by sea to another country. Fuel has become a scarce and expensive currency in Khartoum, which was already suffering from high inflation, including most basic materials.
Darfur saw the most brutal fighting, with Rapid Support personnel shooting dead three UN staff members, and looting warehouses containing food, medicine and other aid.
Locals began to form vigilante groups against the looters, raising fears that the region could be divided under the control of different factions. Eventually, the Janjaweed transformed into the Rapid Support Forces, which includes thousands of elements currently seeking to seize power.
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