Countries have welcomed the announcement by the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to extend current ceasefire for an additional 72 hours while called for its full implementation.
Following a joint statement by Trilateral Mechanism (the African Union, Intergovernmental Authority on Development, and United Nations) and the Quad (the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States) on Sudan.
It was reported that the army late on Wednesday said its leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, gave initial approval to a plan to extend the truce for another 72 hours and send an army envoy to the South Sudan capital, Juba, for talks.
The Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces previously agreed to a three-day ceasefire that was due to expire late on Thursday.
Though there was no immediate response from the RSF to the proposal from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a regional bloc.
The military said Presidents of South Sudan, Kenya and Djibouti worked on a proposal that includes extending truce and talks between two forces. “Burhan thanked IGAD and expressed an initial approval to that,” the army statement said.
United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken and African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat discussed working together to create a sustainable end to the fighting, the State Department said in a statement on Wednesday.
While despite the truce, some of Wednesday’s heaviest battles were in Omdurman, a city adjoining Khartoum where the army was fighting RSF reinforcements from other regions of Sudan, as reported by Reuter.
On the new development, the Trilateral Mechanism, IGAD said, “We welcome the conflicting forces’ readiness to engage in dialogue toward establishing a more durable cessation of hostilities and ensuring unimpeded humanitarian access.
“This initial phase of diplomacy to establish a process to achieve a permanent cessation of hostilities and humanitarian arrangements will contribute to action on development of a de-escalation plan.
“As outlined in the April 20 AU communique, which was endorsed by the League of Arab States, the European Union, the Troika, and other bilateral partners.
Secretary Blinken on Thursday, pledged to continue to work with UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres to press for permanent cessation of hostilities, to protect civilians, and to ensure humanitarian access for UN agencies.
Since the fighting erupted on April 15, air strikes and artillery have killed at least 512 people, wounded nearly 4,200, destroyed hospitals and limited food distribution in the vast nation where a third of the 46 million people were already reliant on humanitarian aid.
During the UN briefing on Thursday, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, has allocated $3 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to urgently respond to the arrival of Sudanese refugees and others in Chad.
While in Khartoum, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that more than 60 per cent of health facilities are closed and only 16 per cent are operating as normal, saying that the treatment of nearly 50,000 acutely malnourished children has been disrupted.
UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund), expressed grief that at least nine children have reportedly been killed, and more than 50 injured during fighting that erupted on 15 April 2023.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, concerned that the ongoing, brutal conflict in Sudan forcing tens of thousands of people to leave their homes in search of safety both within the country and across its borders.
In a statement on Wednesday, he said, “Humanitarian needs in Sudan were already enormous prior to the surge in violence, including those of the 3.7 million internally displaced people. Their numbers are rapidly increasing, although no statistics are yet available.
“At least 20,000 Sudanese refugees have fled to Chad, a country with strained resources that was already hosting almost 600,000 refugees. The new arrivals are from Darfur, one of regions of Sudan most affected by violence, where growing instability might cause larger displacement in the coming weeks.
“Others have crossed into Egypt. UNHCR is discussing with the Egyptian government how to ensure that people in need of international protection are adequately received and processed.
“And at least 4,000 South Sudanese refugees among the 1.1 million from neighbouring countries currently hosted by Sudan – have been forced to prematurely return home to deep uncertainty. They are likely to be followed by others”.
Grandi appealed to all countries neighbouring Sudan to keep their borders open to people seeking safety and protection. “UNHCR is stepping up its support to their governments as they prepare for larger numbers of arrivals.
He wished to echo the repeated calls made by the UN Secretary-General for hostilities to cease immediately, and for all parties to embark on meaningful peace efforts. “Needed to prevent another major displacement crisis that could further destabilize a fragile region”.