(Khartoum) Residents say they hear gunfire Sunday in Khartoum, the sixth day of a ceasefire supposed to expire Monday evening, but never respected by the army and paramilitaries in war for power since April 15.
As fighting continues, Darfur’s governor has urged civilians in the vast western region to arm themselves, raising the specter of civil war.
Despite everything, Washington and Riyadh, which negotiated the current truce with the army of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane and the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of General Mohamed Hamdane Daglo, have demanded its extension beyond its scheduled expiration Monday at 3:45 p.m. EST.
“Both sides told mediators to aim for de-escalation […] and yet, they are positioning themselves for an escalation, ”they denounce together.
In Khartoum, “we hear shooting in the south of the city”, residents reported on Sunday. The two camps tirelessly blame each other for having broken the truce supposed to clear passages for humanitarian aid and civilians.
It is necessary, plead Saudis and Americans, “to give more time to humanitarian workers to carry out their vital work”.
The latter claim to have been unable to deliver very small quantities of food and medicine while 25 of the 45 million Sudanese now need help to survive according to the UN.
And, if no secure corridor is cleared, the NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has warned that it could be forced to suspend its activities.
The war claimed more than 1,800 lives, according to the NGO ACLED.
arm oneself
The FSR said they were “ready to negotiate the extension of the ceasefire”, subject to the respect by the army of the current truce. The army declared for its part “to examine the possibility of accepting an extension”.
Yet, like those that preceded it, this ceasefire did not lead to a cessation of fighting.
In six weeks, they forced more than a million people to move and more than 300,000 others took refuge in neighboring countries, according to the UN.
The situation is particularly critical in Darfur, the region most affected by the fighting with Khartoum, which was already ravaged in the 2000s by a deadly war.
Its governor, the former rebel leader Minni Minnawi, now close to the army, called on Sunday “young and old, women and men, to take up arms to defend their property”.
Already, according to the UN, armed civilians and tribal or rebel fighters have joined the clashes between soldiers and paramilitaries.
While, according to the Small Arms Survey (SAS) research project, 6.6% of Sudanese own a firearm, the army had already called on retired soldiers on Friday to take up arms. And in early May, in the east, hundreds of members of the Beja tribes demonstrated to demand arms from General Burhane.
Other actors could also make the choice of weapons.
“People who belonged to non-violent movements are now thinking of arming themselves to protect themselves,” reports pro-democracy activist Raga Makawi.
African “roadmap”
On Saturday, General Burhane called for the dismissal of the UN envoy to Sudan, Volker Perthes, blaming him for the war.
The army chief accuses Mr. Perthes of having “concealed” the explosive situation in Khartoum. Without these “lies”, General “Daglo would not have launched his military operations”.
UN boss Antonio Guterres said he was “shocked”, showing “his full confidence” in his envoy. Washington told him of its “resolute support” and “confidence”.
Alongside the Americans and the Saudis, the African Union, which suspended Sudan in retaliation for the putsch of the two now rival generals in 2021, is trying to organize discussions with Igad, the regional bloc of East Africa. East of which the country is a part, under the aegis of the President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir.
On Sunday, the pan-African organization said in a statement that it had “adopted a roadmap” providing for “the cessation of hostilities” and “the resumption of the transition to a democratic government led by civilians”.