Khartoum – Agencies:
Yesterday, Sunday, the Sudanese army announced that it is considering extending the ceasefire with the Rapid Support Forces. The Sudanese army confirmed its commitment to the short-term ceasefire agreement signed in Jeddah on May 20. A statement issued by the army yesterday read: “The Sudanese Armed Forces affirm their commitment to the Agreement on the Short-Term Ceasefire and Humanitarian Arrangements in Sudan signed in Jeddah on May 20, 2023. The Short-Term Ceasefire Agreement indicates that either party may notify the Monitoring and Coordination Committee at a later date exceeds 9:45 p.m. on May 27, 2023 by its readiness to approve the renewal. The Sudanese Armed Forces is still examining the possibility of its willingness to agree to extend the current ceasefire, which expires at 9:45 pm on May 29, 2023, and will continue to abide by it until then.
The truce, which was reached with Saudi and American mediation in Jeddah, is scheduled to end this evening, Monday, and the initial agreement was that it would last for a week. The two countries are monitoring the truce, which has been repeatedly violated, from afar.
Riyadh and Washington called on the army and the Rapid Support Forces to continue the discussion to reach an agreement on extending the ceasefire. And they said in a joint statement on Sunday that although the agreement is not complete, the extension will facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid needed by the Sudanese people.
And they continued: In the absence of an agreement to extend the current ceasefire, it remains the duty of the two parties to abide by their commitment under the short-term ceasefire and to declare their commitment to protecting civilians in Sudan.
The Rapid Support Forces announced their full readiness to continue the talks to discuss the possibility of reaching a renewal of the ceasefire agreement and humanitarian arrangements. At the same time, it said it was continuing to monitor the armistice “to test the seriousness and commitment of the other party to proceed with the renewal of the agreement or not.” On the other hand, the Sudanese Medical Association announced that the number of civilian deaths as a result of the fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces has risen to 866, while 3,721 injuries have been recorded.
Sudanese Minister of Health Haitham Mohamed said that 3 Sudanese states (Khartoum, South and Central Darfur) are suffering from a crisis in health services. He pointed out that 30 hospitals in Khartoum state are unable to provide services due to the presence of the Rapid Support Forces inside them, in addition to a number of central hospitals.
Aid agencies have reported that the remaining citizens in Khartoum are suffering from the collapse of services such as electricity, water and communication networks. According to aid agencies told Reuters, it is still difficult to obtain government approvals and security guarantees to move aid and staff located in safer parts of the country to Khartoum and other volatile areas despite the truce.
The United Nations World Food Program said on Twitter that it had started providing food assistance to those in Khartoum, but safety, security and access to areas were needed to increase support to 500,000 people.
The head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees called for an immediate ceasefire between the two parties to the conflict in Sudan to create conditions for humanitarian aid to reach conflict-affected areas.
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