“Sudan Army and RSF Agree to Week-Long Ceasefire for Humanitarian Aid Efforts”

The Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia have agreed a week-long ceasefire, the United States and Saudi Arabia, which are overseeing talks between the two sides, say.

The ceasefire should, among other things, ensure that humanitarian aid can get underway in the area. The ceasefire will come into effect at 9:45 p.m. on Monday evening. Until now, several short breaks in the conflict had been agreed upon, but they were repeatedly violated.

RSF has been fighting fiercely with the Sudanese army since late April. The conflict threatens a humanitarian crisis in the area. The food quickly runs out and looting takes place in several places. Aid organizations had insisted on a temporary corridor through which they can bring emergency aid into the capital Khartoum.

According to the World Health Organization WHO, some 1 million people have been displaced by the conflict and some 700 people have been killed and more than 5,000 injured so far. Violence has also flared up in the western region of Darfur in recent weeks. There, the city of al-Janaina in West Darfur was attacked and shops were looted, among other things.

Humanitarian umbrella organization IFRC also expressed concern about the increasing number of reports of sexual violence.