Sudan’s military factions have agreed to a three-day ceasefire to ease the escalating violence in the country, the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, announced on Monday.
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), headed by General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, reached the agreement after intense negotiations.
“During this period, the United States urges the SAF and RSF to immediately and fully uphold the ceasefire,” Blinken stated.
He further added that the US would work with regional and international partners and Sudanese civilian stakeholders to create a committee that would oversee the negotiation, conclusion, and implementation of a permanent cessation of hostilities and humanitarian arrangements in Sudan.
The United States over the weekend closed its embassy in Khartoum and evacuated its staff due to the escalating violence. It is now considering options to reopen its diplomatic presence in the country, possibly based in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan, according to the State Department.
The conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, declared a rebel group by the military, broke out on April 15, resulting in at least 413 deaths and 3,551 injuries in the capital Khartoum and other cities.
The dispute between the army and RSF arose over military security reform, which involves the full integration of the RSF into the military, a critical issue in the ongoing negotiations for the transition to civilian and democratic rule in Sudan.
