A new attempt at a ceasefire in Sudan appears to have failed, although both the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had previously announced they would stick to the agreement.

The 24-hour ceasefire was to take effect at 18:00 local time (19:00 Greek time). Two eyewitnesses from different parts of the capital Khartoum told Reuters that the fighting continues.

Previously, in the center of Khartoum, continuous shelling was carried out around the building of the General Staff of the army, as well as at the city airport, which was closed since last Saturday.

Thick smoke rose into the sky and the streets of the capital were almost empty. According to footage broadcast on Al-Arabiya TV, gunfire was heard as the army tried to recapture an important military airport in northern Sudan.

General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who rules de facto Sudan, said he was at army headquarters in Khartoum. Reuters was unable to confirm that he was staying there today.

Hiding in their homes, residents of the capital, one of Africa’s largest cities, face power outages, lack of water and worries when food runs out. “Today, we started to face shortages of some essentials,” said architect Hadil Mohamed, expressing concern for the safety of her brother, who went in search of food.

On Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, fighting continued on both sides despite calls from the United Nations and the African Union for a three-hour ceasefire to allow safe passage for civilians who fled to their homes amid escalating violence.

Current rival generals Burhan and Dagallo teamed up to overthrow Omar al-Bashir in April 2019 after massive protests against his three decades of rule. Since then, they have been allies, and their relationship has been punctuated by periods of tension. In October 2021, the two men led a military coup against the civilian government established after the fall of Bashir, derailing an internationally supported transition.

According to Reuters, APE-MPE, AFP