Paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced that they were declaring a 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire from 06:00 (local time; 07:00 Greek time) on Friday, however, international media reported that fighting continued.

The truce “coincides with the blessed Eid al-Fitr” and is meant to “open humanitarian corridors for the removal of civilians and enable them to reunite with their families,” RSF said in a statement.

There has been no reaction from the regular army yet. Previous ceasefire declarations by the opposing sides remained unfulfilled.

Residents of the capital Khartoum and neighboring Bahri reported continued shooting on Friday, with fighting seemingly unabated. Soldiers of the regular army were posted on foot in both towns on both sides of the Nile.

Last Saturday, the RSF said they were acting under “legitimate protection” to fend off what they called a “coup” attempt, and added that they were committed to a “complete ceasefire” as of today.

At least 350 people have been killed and thousands more injured since Good Saturday, when the power struggle between generals Abdel Fattah al-Buran and Mohammed Hamdan Daghlo, or Hameti, escalated into open war.

The fiercest fighting is taking place in the Khartoum region and in the state of Darfur, where the scars of a long-term war that theoretically ended three years ago have not yet healed.

The Chief of the General Staff, General Burhan, and the head of the SRB, Hameti, were in complete agreement when they together toppled the civilian-led transitional government in October 2021. But the latter gradually began to distance himself from the head of the military junta, and the conflict between them, which had been smoldering for months, led to a bloody confrontation between their forces that broke out since Saturday.

In a late-night televised address, General Burkhan promised that the military intended to return the country to civilian rule, a process they began before fighting broke out on Good Saturday.

Source: APE-MPE, Reuters, France 24.