Sudan Army, RSF Agree to Extend Ceasefire for Five Days

Khartoum, MINA – The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed Tuesday to extend the ceasefire for another five days, due to the initial imperfect agreement, allowing aid to be brought into the country.

In a statement by the United States and Saudi Arabia, the two main mediators in the conflict, the half-year truce, which originally started on Monday last week, has now been extended by five days, Middle East Monitor reported.

The deal comes after significant pressure from Washington and Riyadh, as well as humanitarian and aid organizations, to ensure an extension of the initial truce.

Despite the ceasefire being repeatedly violated by both sides and continued fighting and strikes, it has still made it possible to deliver aid to millions of civilians trapped in conflict zones.

According to the statement, a five-day extension would allow time for further humanitarian assistance, restoration of essential services and discussion of a potential longer-term extension.

This was confirmed by the UN World Food Program (WFP), which said it had begun making its first food deliveries on Saturday in the capital, Khartoum, its first since the outbreak of the conflict on April 15.

The Sudanese Army and Rapid Support Force have been fighting for control of the country for the last month and a half, following disagreements over the integration of the RSF into the military.

Since the start of the fighting, according to the Sudan Doctors Syndicate, at least 866 civilians have died in the fighting and thousands more have been injured, with the toll potentially much higher.

Some 1.4 million people in Sudan have also been forced to flee their homes for other areas of the country or in neighboring countries, with foreign diplomatic missions also having been evacuated. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)