Sudan’s warring parties blame breach of ceasefire

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Residents of the capital Khartoum reported airstrikes and artillery fire across the city

A week-long ceasefire in Sudan brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia was breached just minutes after it took effect, with warring parties blaming each other.

Like previous truce agreements, the latest ceasefire which is now in its third day has been systematically violated. Residents of the capital Khartoum have reported airstrikes and artillery fire across the city, which has been rocked by heavy clashes since April 15.

The Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have accused each other of violations. In a statement released late Wednesday, the RSF, led by Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, sought to blame the ceasefire violations on the army led by de facto Sudanese leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

The army “launched a series of unwarranted attacks today,” said RSF, according to AFP. They added that “our forces repelled these assaults with determination”, recalling however that the RSF remained “committed to the humanitarian truce” and called on the “aggressors to respect the ceasefire”.

Despite violations, the ceasefire, which was meant to allow much-needed humanitarian aid to reach those in need, saw residents emerge from their homes for the first time in weeks in search of food and medical care, according to AFP. However, humanitarian aid has not yet reached the capital.

The conflict has so far killed more than 1,800 people. More than a million Sudanese have been displaced, of whom 300,000 have fled to safety in neighboring countries, according to the United Nations.

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