Hours after rival Sudanese warlords agreed to a 24-hour ceasefire following calls from US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, reports on whether the regular army will stick to the agreement remain mixed.

The Army, in a statement, accused the Paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of trying to use the ceasefire “to cover up the crushing defeat they will suffer in a few hours.” But the Arabic-language media reported that the commander of the army, General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, gave his consent. Another Sudanese general, Shams el-Din Kabassi, told Al-Arabiya TV that the army would abide by the ceasefire and monitor its implementation by paramilitaries.

Among the reports, it was unclear who was in control of the country or which of the two forces had the upper hand in the clashes that left at least 185 people dead and more than 1,800 injured.

Shortly after 5 p.m. in Sudan, an hour before the 24-hour ceasefire began, residents reported heavy gunfire and the sound of fighter jets in the Bahri area, north of the capital, and the Amarat area, near the airport. Eyewitnesses spoke of heavy fighting in other parts of Sudan.

The previous truces of the last days did not last. On Sunday and Monday, both sides continued fighting after the United Nations and the African Union called for a three-hour ceasefire to allow safe passage for civilians who fled to their homes as violence escalated.

The head of the DTY, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Khemedi”, whose whereabouts have not been released since the start of hostilities, said that the DTY has approved a 24-hour ceasefire to ensure the safe passage of civilians and the evacuation of the wounded. .

In a tweet, Hemendi said that he had “discussed pressing issues” with Blinken during their phone call and that further talks were planned. DTY also issued a statement saying they are in an ongoing fight to restore “the rights of the people”.

Regional mixing

Burhan chairs a governing council created after the 2021 military coup and the 2019 overthrow of Omar Bashir, with the general calling for the integration of the Hemedi-led TFR into the regular army.

Their power struggle has derailed an internationally backed plan to transition to a civilian democratic government after decades of autocracy and military control in Sudan, which sits at a strategic crossroads between Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and Africa’s troubled Sahel region.

Disagreements over the timing of this process led to a delay in the signing of a framework agreement to initiate the political transition, which was due to be signed earlier this month.

Highlighting the risk to regional stability, General Kabasi said that two neighboring countries are trying to help the RSF. He did not name these countries.

Fighting has engulfed several parts of the country since Saturday, including the western desert region of Darfur, which borders Chad, where up to 300,000 people have been killed and 2.7 million displaced since 2003.

Source: Reuters, New York Times.