The Armistice Fails, Fierce Battles Raise in Khartoum

Khartoum, MINA – Sudanese warring groups continued to engage in fierce clashes on Friday with heavy gunfire and explosions heard in the capital Khartoum and other cities despite the proclamation of a 72-hour ceasefire.

The paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced early Friday a ceasefire after six days of heavy fighting to mark the start of the Eid al-Fitr holiday. Press TV reported.

The group said it would observe a 72-hour ceasefire, which was to take effect at 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) on Friday, but the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) did not confirm this.

“The ceasefire coincides with the blessed Eid al-Fitr, and opens up humanitarian corridors to evacuate residents and gives them the opportunity to greet their families,” the RSF statement said.

Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands more injured since deadly clashes broke out last week between forces loyal to Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, the RSF commander commonly known as Hemeti.

“Four hundred and thirteen people died and 3,551 people were injured,” World Health Organization (WHO) spokeswoman Margaret Harris told reporters in Geneva on Friday.

The UN children’s agency UNICEF said at least nine children were among the dead and more than 50 people were injured.

The Central Committee of Doctors of Sudan said that last night, as Eid al-Fitr celebrations marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan began, “several areas of Khartoum were bombed” and reported “shootings and clashes” for six consecutive nights.

“We ask all citizens to be careful, stay at home, close doors and windows and lie down. We also call on these troops to take responsibility and stop fighting immediately to protect innocent lives,” the committee said in a statement.

The capital Khartoum has seen the worst of the fighting with airstrikes and tank fire in densely populated areas, with most of its five million people confined at home without power, food or water.

The SAF leader appeared on television Friday morning. He expressed his sorrow for the victims of the fighting, prayed for a peaceful Eid, but made no mention of the RSF’s proposed ceasefire. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)