Sudan's army, paramilitary RSF sign seven-day ceasefire agreement
Sudan has seen 6 weeks of turmoil that has so far claimed the lives of hundreds and displaced hundreds of thousands.
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Smoke rises above buildings after aerial bombardment during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan, May 1, 2023. (Reuters)
Following six weeks of nearly continuous warfare that killed hundreds of lives, Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have struck a seven-day ceasefire deal.
The agreement, negotiated by Saudi Arabia and the United States, was signed on Saturday by both parties to the dispute and is set to take effect 48 hours later on Monday at 9:45 p.m. local time (1945 GMT).
Deadly urban clashes broke out on April 15 between Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, who commands the regular army, and his deputy Mohammad Hamdan Dagalo, who heads the paramilitary RSF.
Sudan's warring sides have announced multiple truces but none have effectively taken hold without violations.
So far, the violent combat between the army and paramilitary forces has killed over 700 people, injured at least 5,287 others, and displaced over a million others.
The mediators of the ceasefire stated in a joint statement that the agreement was achieved during discussions in the Saudi port city of Jeddah and that the ceasefire "shall remain in effect for seven days and may be extended with the agreement of both parties."
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According to the statement, the new deal would be implemented by a US-Saudi and international monitoring body.
It stated that future talks "will focus on additional steps necessary to improve security and humanitarian conditions for civilians such as vacating forces from urban centers, including civilian homes, accelerating removal of impediments to the free movement of civilians and humanitarian actors, and enabling public servants to resume their regular duties."
Sudan's Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), a coalition of political groups backing the democratic government in the nation, praised the truce agreement later on Saturday.
In a statement, the FFC expressed that it calls for "a full commitment to Jeddah 'Declaration of Principles' and to the short-term ceasefire agreement as well as humanitarian arrangements."
