- Wednesday, April 24, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which is currently in the middle of a fierce battle with the country’s army, has agreed to a 72-hour truce on humanitarian grounds from 6 am local time (0400 GMT) on Friday (21), to coincide with the Muslim holiday of Eid-al-Fitr, Reuters reported.
There was no immediate remark from the army and General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, its chief, did not mention a ceasefire in a pre-recorded speech that was posted on the Facebook page of the armed forces.
Meanwhile, Khartoum, the capital city which saw intense clashes and loss of lives and injuries to many, witnessed bombing and shelling earlier on Friday.
In a statement, the RSF said, “The truce coincides with the blessed Eid al-Fitr … to open humanitarian corridors to evacuate citizens and give them the opportunity to greet their families.”
Violence in the north African country erupted on Saturday (15) as the two forces clashed, disrupting an internationally backed plan for a transition to a civilian democracy four years after the collapse of Islamist autocrat Omar al-Bashir, who dominated Sudan for three decades, in a military coup.
The RSF said it had to act in “self-defense” to deal with what it called a coup attempt. It added that it is committed to a “complete ceasefire” during the armistice period.
The power struggle between two previously allied leaders of the ruling military junta, Burhan and RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, has so far seen deaths of at least 350 people.
