The Guardian outlines view on Sudan conflict, ceasefire
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British newspaper The Guardian underlines that a ceasefire, in any shape or form, in Sudan is a necessity, as after the truce and evacuations, Sudanese civilians will be stuck amid the infighting.
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A man walks by a house hit in recent fighting in Khartoum, Sudan, April 25, 2023. (AP)
Sudan, a country that is home to more than 45 million people, has become a battlefield over the past few weeks amid infighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti).
The fighting has been brought to somewhat of a halt in light of a recently-reached fragile ceasefire between the two warring parties.
The army confirmed its commitment to the truce, on the condition that the RSF commit to stopping all hostilities.
Field sources confirmed to Al Mayadeen that intermittent clashes took place between the Sudanese army and the RSF, pointing to a hit-and-run situation between the two sides.
British newspaper The Guardian said, commenting on the ceasefire agreement, that any reduction in fighting was and must be welcomed, especially since millions of lives are affected.
The ceasefire was reached on Monday as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Monday evening that Sudan's warring generals have agreed to a three-day ceasefire beginning Tuesday.
"Even if it holds for the full three days, what comes next may be worse," The Guardian said. The deal has opened the way for evacuations from the capital, with foreign nationals being able to leave the country.
The Guardian also added that with foreign nationals out of the way, "The two belligerents will be able to return to battle with little international attention."
Evacuations must continue
The UK evacuated all its embassy staff on April 23. France, the Netherlands, and Belgium have also jointly planned to evacuate European nationals. It was reported that a French convoy came under fire on Sunday as it attempted to leave Khartoum, injuring one French national.
Other countries, including Germany, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Canada, Jordan, Kuwait, India, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Turkey, as well as the United Nations, have carried out evacuations or plan to do so.
Thousands of civilians on Wednesday fled Sudan to Saudi Arabia on a boat over the Red Sea with more than 50 nationalities on board, ranging from Zimbabwe to Ireland and Nicaragua.
The evacuees began arriving in Jeddah via naval ships on Saturday, including foreign officials. They were welcomed by Saudi soldiers who gifted them plastic-wrapped pink and red roses, as a C-130 Hercules military plane flew South Korean civilians to Jeddah's King Abdullah Air Base and nearly 200 people from 14 countries traveled the Red Sea from Port Sudan.
Regardless, the British newspaper said that the Sudanese civilians stuck in their country were the most pressing issue, with hundreds of thousands wanting to leave as they queue up on their country's borders.
"They face the prospect of intensified fighting, with dwindling food stocks and without basic services in places where medical services have essentially shut down," The Guardian said.
It further called for humanitarian corridors for those trying to leave the country and seek refuge elsewhere, "as Sudan has itself offered to others escaping wars."
The United Nations has announced that at least 459 people have been killed and more than 3,700 have been injured as a result of the ongoing conflict in Sudan.
International pressures on regional states
The newspaper called on the "international community to pressure Egypt and other regional states to relax their visa restrictions and allow for expedited border crossings and help host countries provide the support needed upon their arrival.
"The UN estimates that up to 20,000 people have so far crossed from Darfur into Chad, which is already home to hundreds of thousands of refugees from Sudan. Poor and fragile nations cannot manage this alone," it concluded.
The United Nations has announced that at least 459 people have been killed and more than 3,700 have been injured as a result of the ongoing conflict.
A day after the truce went into effect, the Sudanese army and the RSF exchanged blame for violating a truce aimed at opening up humanitarian corridors, with the RSF accusing the Sudanese army of bombing its positions in the presidential palace in Khartoum as media sources said an army plane flew over the city of Omdurman.
