Temporary ceasefire reached in fighting in Sudan, says US

After more than a month of fighting, a temporary ceasefire has been reached in the deadly conflict between two warring factions in Sudan, the US State Department announced on Saturday.

The short-term ceasefire agreement, which was brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia in Jeddah, was signed on Saturday and will come into effect on Monday at 9:45 p.m. said the State Department. The agreement will last for seven days and can be extended with the agreement of both parties, the State Department said.

Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began in mid-April and has claimed more than 750 lives, according to the latest figures from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project.

Under the terms of the temporary truce, the two sides agreed to assist in the delivery of humanitarian aid, as well as to withdraw forces from hospitals and other “essential public facilities”.

They also agreed to allow “goods to flow unhindered from ports of entry to populations in need,” the State Department said in a press release.

Several previous ceasefires have been breached in recent weeks, but according to the State Department, this latest agreement was signed by both parties and “will be backed by a sustained ceasefire monitoring mechanism.” by the United States, Saudi Arabia and the international community”.

During the ceasefire, talks will continue in Jeddah in hopes of reaching a permanent end to the fighting, the State Department said.

The fights ensue a power struggle between two former allies, and now rivals: General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the Sudanese Armed Forces, and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, head of RSF.

The ensuing violence caused widespread destruction in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, and the nearby town of Obdurman.

Last month, the U.S. Army successfully evacuated US diplomatic personnel from Sudan and closed the US Embassy in Khartoum. Hundreds of American civilians were also evacuated.

— Haley Ott contributed to this report.