Witnesses said heavy shelling could be heard in eastern Khartoum. One of the residents posted a photo showing columns of smoke rising into the sky. Residents of Omdurman and Bahri reported hearing gunshots.
After five weeks of fierce fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, the two sides agreed on a seven-day truce on Saturday which began at 9:45 p.m. local time (1945 GMT) on Monday, in a bid to open the channel for delivering aid.
In the hours before the truce took effect, the army launched massive airstrikes in the capital, Khartoum, against the Rapid Support Forces.
Although fighting has continued under previous ceasefire agreements, this is the first truce formally concluded after negotiations.
The deal includes a monitoring mechanism involving the military and the Rapid Support Forces, as well as representatives from Saudi Arabia and the United States, who brokered the deal after talks in Jeddah.
Shortly before the ceasefire came into effect, the Rapid Support Forces issued an audio message from its commander, Lieutenant General Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo (Hamedti), in which he thanked Saudi Arabia and the States United, but urged his men to persevere until victory or martyrdom.
“We will not back down unless we end this coup, prosecute all those who have committed crimes against the Sudanese people and return to the democratic path,” he said.
The two sides traded accusations of trying to seize power at the start of the conflict.
The deal renewed hope for an end to the war that has uprooted nearly 1.1 million people from their homes, including more than 250,000 who have fled to neighboring countries, threatening to destabilize an already volatile region. .
Volker Berthes, the UN envoy to Sudan, said the ceasefire must allow civilians to move and allow humanitarian access.
“It is a welcome development, although fighting continues and troop movements continue today, despite the commitment of both sides not to seek military advantage until a ceasefire is reached. ‘enters into force,’ he said during a briefing at the UN Security Council in New York.
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