Sudanese army, paramilitary RSF say they commit to ceasefire
A week-long ceasefire deal, signed by the army and the rival RSF after talks in Jeddah, is due to come into effect on the evening of May 22.
A Sudanese army armoured vehicle is stationed in southern Khartoum amid ongoing fighting between two rival generals. / Photo: AFP
The Sudanese army said on May 21 that it is committed to a seven-day ceasefire with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group.
The ceasefire deal was reached between the two military rivals on Saturday during their face-to-face talks in the Saudi city of Jeddah.
The army said that the ceasefire will come into force on May 22. "The Armed Forces announce its commitment to the agreement and hope that the rebel militia will abide by it," the army added in a statement.
Sudan’s warring factions have agreed to new short-term ceasefire, US and Saudi mediators announce. Let’s take a look: pic.twitter.com/w6aURawDDB
— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) May 21, 2023
According to the statement, the agreement is limited to "a temporary military ceasefire, freedom of movement for civilians, and protecting them from violence and violations."
Sudan's paramilitary RSF also said it is fully committed to abiding by the newly-agreed short-term ceasefire with the Sudanese army.
"We affirm our full commitment to the ceasefire ... to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, open passages for civilians and provide everything that would alleviate the suffering of our people," the RSF said in a statement.
"Today we are more insistent and determined ... to break this vicious circle that has been controlling the fate of our people unjustly and tyrannically," it added.
At least 850 civilians have been killed and more than 3,300 injured in fighting between the army and the RSF since April 15, according to local medics.
After the first face-to-face talks in Saudi Arabia, the army and the RSF signed a declaration of commitment to protect civilians in Sudan on May 11. Despite the agreement, clashes continued between the two military rivals, particularly in the capital, Khartoum.
A disagreement had been fomenting in recent months between the army and the RSF over the paramilitary group's integration into the armed forces, a key condition of Sudan's transition agreement with political groups.
Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021, when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's transitional government and declared a state of emergency in a move decried by political forces as a "coup".
Sudan's transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President Omar al Bashir, had been scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.
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