On Wednesday, the Sudanese army delegation suspended its participation in ongoing negotiations with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the port city of Jeddah.
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The suspension was not a withdrawal from the negotiations, but an expression of the army’s rejection of the continued violations by the RSF of the short-term ceasefire agreement.
According to the Sudanese authorities, the RSF has not fulfilled its commitments to withdrawing from civilian areas, including hospitals and neighborhoods.
The Sudanese army and the RSF agreed to extend a week-long ceasefire agreement by five days before it was due to expire on Monday.
Sudan’s army bombed a printing press in an attempt to prevent a paramilitary group from printing money to fund its operations, sources say https://t.co/iIDuq7VQua
— Bloomberg Africa (@BloombergAfrica)
May 31, 2023
Nevertheless, eyewitnesses reported clashes on Wednesday morning in the Al-Mohandiseen district in Omdurman, west of the capital Khartoum. The army closed the Al-Fatihab bridge linking Khartoum and Omdurman, while warplanes were flying over the area.
The RSF accused the Sudanese army of violating the truce, saying that “the army bombarded our positions in Khartoum.”
Sudan has been witnessing deadly armed clashes between the army and the RSF in the capital Khartoum and other areas since April 15. Over 800 people have been killed, and nearly 1.4 million people have been forced to leave their homes since the conflict began.
African Union (AU) Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat called on African nations and the international community to quickly extend humanitarian support to people fleeing the conflict in Sudan. pic.twitter.com/9zcUYpJZ0p
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish)
April 28, 2023