Sudanese Ceasefire Fails Again, Leaving Civilians In Peril
This marks the second failed attempt in two days, leaving many wondering if a ceasefire to allow evacuation of civilians is possible.
The people of Sudan continue to live in fear as a second ceasefire agreement between warring military factions has failed to hold.
The is the second attempt in two days, leaving many wondering if an arrangement to allow evacuation of civilians in the conflict area is possible.
The latest agreement was supposed to take effect on Wednesday, April 19, but it quickly became apparent that neither the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) or the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) were willing to honor it.
Just a day earlier, on Tuesday, another ceasefire agreement had been reached, but it too was quickly broken.
Two eyewitnesses in separate areas of Khartoum told news agency Reuters that violence had resumed.
Residents are reportedly without basic necessities and frightened of decreasing food supplies and a collapse in medical facilities.
The two factions accused each other of breaking the previous agreement, both saying they were left with no option but to engage in self defense.
Looted
Meanwhile, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), an international humanitarian organization, reported that its facility in Nyala, in the Darfur region, has been raided by armed men.
MSF announced this on its official Twitter feed, noting that their warehouse containing medical equipment had been looted. The NGO then appealed for the respect and protection of humanitarian organizations in the middle of the crisis.
The conflict in Sudan began on Saturday, April 15, when Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) commander, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) chief, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (known as Hemedti), clashed near a military base in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum.
The two military chiefs have been embroiled in a power struggle since they collaborated to depose Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in 2019 and played a key part in the military coup in 2021, which ended a power-sharing arrangement between the military and civilian factions.
However, disagreements over how to incorporate the RSF into the Sudanese military and the standing of its leaders prior to the transfer to civilian control have caused a severe schism between the two factions.
The 24-hour ceasefire is intended to allow countries to arrange rescue flights for their citizens.
Nigerian students in Sudan have told HumAngle they have not heard from their embassy since the fighting started.
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