Sudan’s rival warlords have agreed to a 24-hour ceasefire from tonight, the military said after US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called on each side to stop heavy fighting in Khartoum, which saw a US diplomatic convoy fired upon.

The ceasefire will begin at 18:00 local time (19:00 Greek time) and will not be extended beyond the agreed 24 hours, General Shams el-Din Kabassi, a member of Sudan’s ruling military council, told Al Arabiya TV channel.

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken had separate phone conversations with the head of the armed forces and the head of the paramilitary operational support forces (RSF), whose power struggle has claimed the lives of at least 185 people across the country and thwarted an internationally backed plan to return to civilian rule after decades of authoritarianism. and military rule.

The head of the DTY, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedi, whose whereabouts have not been released since the fighting began, said the DTY has approved a 24-hour ceasefire to allow 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. The DTY also issued a statement saying that they are engaged in an ongoing struggle to restore the “rights of our people”, which they call a new revolution.

Egypt and UAE working on ceasefire proposal

Meanwhile, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are working on a ceasefire proposal, two Egyptian security sources said.

Cairo is the main sponsor of the Sudanese military, and Dagalo maintains ties with foreign powers such as the Emirates and Russia. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said yesterday that he is in constant contact with the army and the RSF to “persuade them to accept the ceasefire.”

Although the Sudanese army is outnumbered and has an air force, the RSF has a larger presence around Khartoum and other cities.

Source: Reuters, APE-MPE, AFP.