Sudanese warring factions have agreed to abide by a seven-day humanitarian ceasefire, the United States and Saudi Arabia said in a joint statement after talks in Jeddah on Saturday reported The VOA News.
The ceasefire has been reached after several previous attempts have failed. Numerous announced truces have been violated since fighting broke out last month.
According to the statement released by the U.S. State Department, representatives from both the Sudanese forces led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy-turned-rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo have vowed not to seek any military advantage before the ceasefire deal goes into effect on Monday, May 22. The truce could be extended if both Sudanese factions agree.
“Both parties have conveyed to the Saudi and US facilitators their commitment not to seek military advantage during the 48-hour notification period after signing the agreement and prior to the start of the ceasefire,” the statement said.
As per the statement, the ceasefire deal will be supported by a US-Saudi and international-supported ceasefire monitoring mechanism. It said that there will be more rounds of talks in the coming days which will focus on additional steps necessary to improve security and humanitarian conditions for civilians in the war-hit country.
There will be discussions to decide on steps to vacate forces from urban centers, including civilian homes, accelerate the removal of impediments to the free movement of civilians and humanitarian actors, and enable public servants to resume their regular duties.
The power struggle between regular Sudanese army chief al-Burhan and his former deputy-turned-rival Daglo, who heads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), began on April 15. Hundreds of people, most of them civilians, have lost their lives due to the conflict so far while and over one million people have been displaced.
The United Nations (UN) has already issued a warning over Sudan’s fast-deteriorating humanitarian situation, where one in three people already relied on aid before the war.
