Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Araghchi: Iran is committed to diplomacy and expects the lifting of unjust and unilateral sanctions that directly target its people
Araghchi: We want a fair and balanced agreement reached within the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty with full respect for Iran's nuclear rights
Araghchi: Iran has always sought to alleviate legitimate international concerns about its nuclear program through transparency
Araghchi: Iran is committed to the principle of not producing or deploying weapons of mass destruction
Araghchi: Iran is committed to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and has never sought to possess nuclear weapons based on its principles
Araghchi: Iran has always emphasized that it does not seek nuclear weapons, and we call for a fair and just agreement that guarantees our national interests and lifts sanctions
Araghchi: We call for a referendum in Palestine so that the Palestinians can decide their fate
Araghchi: The Zionist entity is a threat to the countries of the region, and a real solution must be reached
Araghchi: Iran wishes nothing but good, progress, and development for its neighboring countries, and we must expand economic and structural projects with them
Araghchi: We must undertake a more effective path, and today, President Pezeshkian highlighted the need to respect emerging countries and mutual respect among countries

Gunfire, airstrikes breach ceasefire in Sudan on first day

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 23 May 2023 10:15
4 Min Read

Witnesses in Khartoum report breaches in the ceasefire, which entered into effect on Monday at 9:45 pm as hospitals reach a critical stage amid supply shortages.

  • x
  • Black smoke builds up at Omdurman market in Omdurman, Sudan, 15 May 2023. (Reuters)
    Black smoke builds up at Omdurman market in Omdurman, Sudan, May 15, 2023. (Reuters)

Clashes and airstrikes were reported in Khartoum, Sudan, minutes after the previously agreed-upon ceasefire came into effect on Monday night, witnesses told AFP.

Gunfire was heard north of the capital, while airstrikes shook areas in east Kharotoum just after 9:45 pm (local time), which marked the commencement of the one-week ceasefire agreement that is meant to allow humanitarian aid into areas of conflict. 

"Beyond official announcements, Sudan is still pounded and bombarded, with millions of civilian lives at risk," the Regional Media Adviser for East Africa & Yemen at the Norwegian Refugee Council, Karl Schembri tweeted.

Media please note: Beyond official announcements, #Sudan is still pounded & bombarded, with millions of civilian lives at risk. We've had over a month of broken promises & empty words while humanitarian colleagues were killed together with children & others & hospitals destroyed https://t.co/e3ss9fP2yB

— Karl Schembri / ابو سلمان (@Karl_Schembri) May 22, 2023

Shembri pointed to the multiple broken truces between the warring parties of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

"We've had over a month of broken promises and empty words while humanitarian colleagues were killed, together with children and others and hospitals destroyed."

Since fighting broke out on April 15, around 1,000 have been killed, including civilians, as clashes centered around highly populated urban areas in Sudanese cities. 

The events were followed by a huge outflux of refuge seekers as more than one million people have been displaced, including more than 250,000 who have fled Sudan across borders, creating regional fallout.

Earlier on Monday, residents expressed their worries regarding the possibility of a successful ceasefire, which would have enabled them to get back in touch with stranded relatives and find access to humanitarian aid. 

Related News

Trump regional strategy 'made over Netanyahu’s head': NYT

Mexican navy ship crash at Brooklyn Bridge kills 2, injures 17

"Fighter jets are bombing our neighborhood," said Mahmoud Salah Al-Din, a resident of Khartoum.

He added, "We have seen no sign that the Rapid Support Forces are preparing to withdraw from the streets," as the RSF entrenched themselves in neighborhoods of the capital. 

The seven-page agreement for a ceasefire, negotiated by Saudi Arabia and the United States, was signed on Saturday by both warring parties. 

The mediators said the deal would be abided by, unlike previous agreements — none of which stood the test of time — since it was "signed by the parties" who met in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and was supplemented by a "ceasefire monitoring mechanism."

The leaders of the SAF and RSF were obliged to instruct their troops about the details of the ceasefire and to ensure they comply, however, the UN envoy to Sudan, Volker Perthes, told the United Nations Security Council that "fighting and troop movements have continued even today, despite a commitment by both sides not to pursue military advantage before the ceasefire takes effect."

No room for peace

Hours before 9:45 pm on Monday, the leader of the RSF Mohammad Hamdan Dagalo released a voice message addressing his supporters. Dagalo's statements contradicted the expected ceasefire as he said to his fighters, "It is either victory or martyrdom, and victory will be ours."

Another resident of Khartoum, Souad Al-Fateh, described the dire situation in Sudan, "We are all hungry, the children, the elderly, everyone is suffering from this war. We have no more water," adding that the two groups need to "find an agreement."

Others have given up on the possibility of peace as Thuraya Mohammed, a resident of the southern part of the city, said that a truce would be a chance to escape, since "Khartoum is no longer a place fit for life. Everything has been destroyed."

On Monday, the Doctors Union said that "the only hospital that had remained servicing" the two districts east of the capital had been closed after RSF troops were reported "assaulting and intimidating patients, families and medical staff" at the facilities, while members of the SAF were "personally threatening" hospital workers.

Medical professionals have continuously complained about the difficult circumstances under which they are operating, with fighting cutting supplies short and putting the healthcare system under the threat of collapse, especially in Western Darfur.

  • United States
  • Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo
  • Sudan
  • Sudanese armed forces
  • Rapid Support Forces
  • Khartoum
  • Saudi Arabia

Most Read

Two F-35 jets arrive at it's new operational base Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015, at Hill Air Force Base, in northern Utah. (AP)

F-35 near-misses over Yemen signal new risks for 'Israel': Forbes

  • Politics
  • 14 May 2025
Palestinians pray over bodies of people killed in the Israeli bombardment who were brought from the Shifa hospital before burying them in a mass grave in the town of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. (AP )

Gaza casualty figures mask a much bigger horror, new study shows

  • Politics
  • 11 May 2025
Abu Obaida

Abu Obeida posts shortly after Israeli reports about his assassination

  • Palestine
  • 15 May 2025
Gaza and the logic of necropolitics: Sovereignty measured by killing

Gaza and the logic of necropolitics: Sovereignty measured by killing

  • Politics
  • 15 May 2025

Coverage

All
Gaza prevails against genocide

Read Next

All
A Microsoft sign and logo are pictured at the company's headquarters, Friday, April 4, 2025, in Redmond, Wash. (AP)
Technology

Microsoft admits supplying AI to 'Israel' amid Gaza carnage

Israeli occupation’s tanks parked in a staging area near the border with Gaza, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP)
Politics

'Israel' launches multi-axis assault in Gaza under 'Gideon’s Chariots'

People stand at the train ticket counter of NJ Transit at Penn Station, amid a strike by New Jersey Transit train engineers, in New York, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP)
Economy

Commuters stranded amid first New Jersey railway strike in 40 years

Trump's tax bill stalls as Republican opposition demands deeper cuts
US & Canada

Trump's tax bill stalls as Republican opposition demands deeper cuts

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS