Saudi Arabia and USA urged the opposing sides in Sudan to agree and “apply effectively” a new ceasefire, in a statement released Sunday amid renewed fighting in the northeast African nation.
Sudan was plunged into chaos in mid-April when fighting broke out between the army, led by General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group led by General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo.
Saudi Arabia and the United States have mediated between the two sides in recent weeks. On May 21, they managed to negotiate a temporary ceasefire agreement. to help deliver much-needed humanitarian aid in the country. His efforts suffered a blow, however, when the army announced on Wednesday that he would abandon negotiations in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah.
After the army’s decision, the United States and Saudi Arabia said they would suspend the dialogue “as a result of repeated serious violations of the short-term ceasefire”. The administration of President Joe Biden imposed sanctions on Sudanese defense companies run by the military and the FAR, as well as on individuals who “perpetuate violence” in sudan.
In their statement on Sunday, Washington and Riyadh said they were in contact with representatives of the army and the FAR who remained in Jeddah. They urged the warring sides in Sudan to agree and implement a new ceasefire agreement after the one that expired on Saturday night. The goal was to impose a permanent cessation of hostilities in the country, they said.
The talks, the two countries noted, focus on “facilitate humanitarian assistance” and come to an agreement on “short-term steps to be taken by the sides” before resuming negotiations.
The violence has turned the capital Khartoum and other urban areas into battlegrounds, with widespread looting and destruction in residential areas across Sudan. The conflict too it has displaced more than 165 million people who fled to safer places in Sudan and neighboring countries.
The population has reported heavy fighting over the past two days in Khartoum and the neighboring cities of Omdurman and Bahri.
Loud sounds of artillery and gunfire could be heard in parts of Omdurman on Sunday morning as army aircraft flew over the capital.
Fighting was also reported in the northern Darfur region, which has seen some of the worst fighting since fighting began on April 15.
Source: AP
Source: Gestion
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