Damaged house following clashes between paramilitary quick support forces and the army in Khartoum, Sudan. Credit: REUTERS/Stringer/sudan
Sudan's military command has agreed to a 24-hour ceasefire effective Tuesday evening, the army said after an intense international diplomatic effort to end four days of bloody fighting that threatened to escalate into civil war.
Army General Shams el-Din Kabbash told Arab media that the ceasefire would begin at 6 p.m., after the military said earlier in the day they would not accept the truce as they were prepared to inflict a «crushing defeat» on paramilitary operational support forces fighting For control of the country.Throughout Tuesday, tens of thousands of soldiers from the rival forces of Sudan's two top generals — military commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF leader General Mohmmaed Hamdan Dagalo — continued to fight in the streets. Khartoum around the main bases and strategic facilities.
Fighting broke out on Saturday after negotiations between the generals to hand over power to a civilian government broke down. On Tuesday, as the army moved more tanks and armored personnel carriers into Khartoum, the military said the fighting was “entering a decisive phase.”
But General Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti, announced a cessation of hostilities after how Anthony Blinken, US Secretary General, spoke to rival generals on Monday night.
RSF «reaffirms its approval» of a 24-hour truce «to ensure the safe passage of civilians and the evacuation of the wounded,» it said on his Twitter account in English.
Earlier, Mr. Blinken issued a warning after a US diplomatic convoy caught fire on Monday. “These actions were reckless, irresponsible and unsafe,” he said, adding that an investigation is underway to identify those responsible.
Egyptian sources also report that Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are seeking to mediate a ceasefire. . Egypt provides training for the Sudanese military, while the UAE supports the RSF.
Footage emerged on Tuesday of thermobaric shells that appeared to have been supplied by the United Arab Emirates to the SLO and captured by the military. Video showing crates of 120mm thermobaric amphibious assault rounds with markings indicating they were produced in Serbia in 2020 and then delivered to the UAE. The UAE government did not respond to a request for comment.
According to the analyst, this video will undermine the credibility of the UAE as a neutral intermediary.
«Washington's claim that the UAE is a partner in seeking peace in Sudan under the Quad should increasingly be viewed with skepticism,» said Cameron Hudson, a former CIA officer and Sudan expert.
Quad is a UK, US, Saudi Arabia and UAE group that tried to restore civilian rule after the Sudanese military and RSF staged a coup in 2021.
Nearly 200 people have died< p>At least 185 people have been killed and more than 1,800 injured since the outbreak of hostilities, said UN representative in Sudan Volker Perthes.
Parts of the capital were badly damaged by the fighting. Videos posted online on Tuesday showed the Souq al-Bahri, a large outdoor market in northern Khartoum, engulfed in flames due to nearby clashes.
Satellite images taken by Maxar show at least 14 aircraft were destroyed and others damaged at the now-closed Khartoum airport, which RSF claims is under control. At least one MiG-29 fighter jet and one Chinese FTC2000 fighter jet were destroyed in the fighting at the Merowe Air Base, 200 miles north of Khartoum.
#Sudan 🇸🇩: The Sudanese army released a video of a captured Rapid Support Force (#RSF) munition.
The video shows several 120mm thermobaric TB projectiles with UT M18 fuses.
Looks like they were made by #Serbia 🇬🇸 in 2020 and sold/delivered to #UAE 🇦🇪 later. pic.twitter.com/3vDpShuigb
— Mahamat M. Adam Bechir (@BlazianP) April 17, 2023
Sudanese military air superiority is believed to be a big advantage over the RSF, whose bases in Khartoum have been bombed . in air strikes.
Other satellite images show tanks and military vehicles stationed in the streets near government buildings and on the main bridges across the Nile.
Civilians trapped in their homes for the fourth day now report running out of water, food and other supplies.
«Our life is not respectable» — Farah Abbas, 65- According to the Associated Press, the one-year-old child took refuge at home in the Mamura district of Khartoum. «No one can go out even to bury the bodies scattered in the streets.»
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