KHARTOUM: After a 24-hour ceasefire that had offered a temporary respite from eight weeks of violence between opposing military groups, clashes and artillery fire were reported in certain areas of Sudan’s capital early on Sunday, Reuters said.
Witnesses said that violence had started shortly after the truce in the north of Omdurman, one of the three adjacent cities that, along with Khartoum and Bahri, make up the capital near the confluence of the River Nile, expired at 6 am (0400 GMT).
While explosions and fights were reported in Khartoum, locals in the eastern suburb of the capital’s Sharq el-Nil region claimed to have heard artillery fire.
On April 15, a conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted over disagreements on a plan for a transition to civilian authority that had received international support.
Within three hours of the truce taking effect on Saturday, residents in different areas of the capital, Khartoum, reported that the shelling and air strikes that had plagued the city since mid-April had temporarily ceased. People took advantage of the lull to stock up on essential goods, such as fruits, which had been in short supply.
The civilians, caught in the crossfire in greater Khartoum and the volatile western region of Darfur, are desperate for relief from the relentless bloodshed but expressed deep skepticism regarding the sincerity of the warring generals. The limited scope of the one-day truce disappointed many, who yearned for a comprehensive resolution to the conflict.
Aly Verjee, a researcher at Sweden’s University of Gothenburg specializing in Sudan, expressed doubts about the likelihood of this truce holding any more than its predecessors. Verjee noted that the underlying incentives for both parties had not changed significantly, casting doubt on the chances of a different outcome. The short duration of the truce further diminished hopes for a substantial breakthrough.
