KHARTOUM: Sudan’s paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has agreed to a 72-hour truce on humanitarian grounds, starting from 6 am (0400 GMT) on Friday, to coincide with the Muslim holiday of Eidul Fitr.
“The truce coincides with the blessed Eidul Fitr … to open humanitarian corridors to evacuate citizens and give them the opportunity to greet their families,” the RSF said in a statement.
The capital, Khartoum, was rocked by severe shelling and bombing in the early hours of Friday, with the RSF accusing the army of carrying out a “sweeping attack” on the city.
There was no mention of a ceasefire in a pre-recorded speech by army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan that was posted on the army’s Facebook page.
Fighting between Sudan’s army and RSF erupted on Saturday, thwarting an internationally backed plan aimed at the country’s transition to a civilian democracy four years after the ouster and arrest of Islamist autocrat Omar al-Bashir following months of protests and two years after a military coup.
In its statement, the RSF said it was forced to act in “self-defense” to repel what it called ‘a coup attempt’, as it vowed staying committed to a “complete ceasefire” during the armistice period.
More than 350 people have been killed in the power struggle between two previous allies of the ruling military junta, army chief Burhan and RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
The conflict has hindered hopes for progress towards democracy in the country and risks expansion to neighbours as well as becoming another regional competition between Russia and the United States.
