(Riyadh) The army and the paramilitaries at war in Sudan have “agreed” on a 24-hour ceasefire negotiated by the American and Saudi mediators, announced Friday the diplomacy of the monarchy of the Gulf where the meetings are held. talks.
This announcement comes as the previous truces have hardly ever been respected since the conflict broke out on April 15 between the troops of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane and the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of General Mohamed Hamdane Daglo .
“Representatives of the Sudanese armed forces and the RSF have agreed on a nationwide ceasefire from (Saturday) June 10 at 6 a.m. Khartoum time”, announced Saudi Arabia and the States States, according to a statement released by the Gulf kingdom’s foreign ministry.
The parties pledged to cease violence for the duration of the truce and to allow “the arrival of humanitarian aid throughout the country”.
Washington and Riyadh say they share the “frustration” of the Sudanese after the non-respect of previous truces.
“If the parties do not respect the 24-hour ceasefire, the mediators should consider adjourning the Jeddah talks,” the mediators warned.
Riyadh said last week that it was seeking with the Americans to “continue discussions” to reach an “effective” ceasefire, after negotiations were officially suspended.
But, according to Saudi diplomacy, army emissaries and paramilitaries are still in Jeddah.
Friday’s announcement comes the day after a visit to Saudi Arabia by US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken who assured that Washington and Riyadh were keen to “continue their strong cooperation” and to “end the fighting in Sudan”.
The conflict has killed more than 1,800 people and caused a serious humanitarian crisis in one of the countries already among the poorest in the world.