Sudan ceasefire deal raises hopes for relief in Khartoum

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KHARTOUM – Sporadic fighting between Sudan’s warring factions was heard in the capital, Khartoum, on Sunday, after a week-long ceasefire brokered by Saudi Arabia and the United States raised hopes for some calm in the five-week conflict, residents said.

The ceasefire agreement, which was signed by the army and the rival Rapid Support Forces after talks in the Saudi city of Jeddah, is set to go into effect on Monday evening with an internationally backed monitoring mechanism. It also allows the delivery of humanitarian aid.

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Repeated cease-fire declarations since the conflict began on April 15 have failed to stop the fighting, but the Jeddah agreement marks the first time the two sides have signed a truce agreement after negotiations.

Analysts say it is unclear whether the army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, or the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, will be able to enforce a ceasefire on the ground. Both have previously indicated that they are seeking victory in the war, and neither of them has traveled to Jeddah.

The war has seen 1.1 million people flee their homes, moving either within Sudan or into neighboring countries, fueling a humanitarian crisis that threatens to destabilize the region.

It has left those still in Khartoum struggling to survive amid mass looting, collapsing health services and dwindling supplies of food, fuel, electricity and water. Eyewitnesses spoke of the sound of clashes in central and southern Khartoum on Sunday.

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Safaa Ibrahim, 35, a resident of Khartoum, told Reuters by phone that she hoped the agreement would end the conflict.

We are tired of this war. We were kicked out of our homes, and the family was scattered between towns in Sudan and Egypt.” We want to return to normalcy and security. Al-Burhan and Hemedti must respect people’s desire to live.”

Waiting for the truth

The war in Khartoum was sparked by plans by the generals who seized full power in a 2021 coup to sign a transition towards elections under a civilian government.

Al-Burhan and Hamidti have held senior positions in Sudan’s ruling council since the overthrow of former leader Omar al-Bashir during the popular uprising in 2019.

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The Jeddah talks focused on allowing aid and restoring basic services. Mediators say more talks are needed to seek a withdrawal of troops from urban areas to broker a lasting peace deal with civilian participation.

“The people of Khartoum are waiting for the truce and the opening of humanitarian corridors,” said Mohamed Hamid, an activist in the capital. “The health situation is getting worse day by day.”

Gen. Yasser al-Atta told Sudan’s state television that the army was trying to remove the RSF from homes, schools and hospitals.

Millions of civilians were trapped as the army used airstrikes and shelling to target the Rapid Support Forces, who had holed up in residential areas early in the fighting.

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Asked about calls by some tribal leaders to arm civilians, Atta said that this is not currently required but that residents who are under attack in their homes should be able to defend themselves. He said: “Let them arm themselves to protect themselves, this is a natural right.”

Since the conflict began, unrest has broken out in other parts of Sudan, especially the western region of Darfur.

About 705 people were killed and at least 5,287 were injured, according to the World Health Organization, although the true death toll is believed to be much higher.

(Reporting: Khaled Abdelaziz in Dubai, Nafisa Eltaher and Adam McCary in Cairo; Writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Hugh Lawson)