KHARTOUM: Gunfire and explosions thundered the capital Khartoum for a 20th straight day on Thursday, leaving the latest ceasefire truce in tatters, a day after United Nations chief Antonio Guterres confessed the international community had “failed” Sudan.
As the newest ceasefire expired at midnight on Wednesday, Sudan’s regular army said it was ready to abide by a renewd seven-day truce agreed with South Sudanese mediators. Still, there was no word from its rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
According to AFP, witnesses heard loud explosions and exchanges of fire on the city streets around dawn in Khartoum.
Deadly city fight broke out on April 15 between Sudan’s de facto General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who leads the regular army, and his deputy and rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who heads the paramilitary RSF.
At least 550 people had been killed and 4,926 injured, according to the latest figures shared by the Sudan’s health ministry figures.
“The UN was taken by surprise” by the fight because the world body and other countries were hopeful that talks towards a civilian transition would succeed, the UN chief told reporters in Nairobi on Wednesday.
“To the extent that we and many other countries were not expecting this to occur, we can say we failed to avoid it from happening,” Guterres said.
“A country like Sudan, which had suffered so much… could not afford a struggle for power between two individuals.”
