Sudan conflict: Warring factions agree seven-day ceasefire, US says

Atemporary ceasefire in Sudan has been agreed as fighting between two warring factions entered its sixth week.

Previous truce attempts between Sudan’s regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have tended to collapse within minutes of beginning.

But the new deal will be enforced by a “ceasefire monitoring mechanism,” according to a US-Saudi statement.

As part of the sevenday humanitarian ceasefire, Sudanese officials have agreed to restore essential services.

Fighting between the two sides has plunged the country into chaos since it began last month, with more than a million people thought to have been displaced.

Qatar said on Saturday that its embassy in the capital Khartoum had been ransacked by “irregular armed forces”, and it called for the perpetrators to be held accountable for the

“heinous act”.

Other embassies, including Jordan’s, have also been previously ransacked, along with aid warehouses of the UN.

Stocks of food, money and essentials have fast declined and aid groups repeatedly complained of being unable to provide sufficient assistance in Khartoum, where much of the violence has taken place.

Both the regular army and the RSF have been urged to allow the distribution of humanitarian aid, restore essential services and withdraw forces from hospitals.

The United States and Saudi Arabia, who sponsored the peace talks in Jeddah, said the ceasefire would come into effect on Monday evening.

In a statement, the US State Department acknowledged previous failed attempts at brokering peace in Sudan, but said there was a key difference this time.

“Unlike previous ceasefires, the agreement reached in Jeddah was signed by the

More than a million people are estimated to have been displaced since the war began parties and will be supported by a US-Saudi and internationalsupported ceasefire monitoring mechanism,” it said, without giving more detail.

Taking to Twitter, US Secretary of State Antony

Blinken added: “It is past time to silence the guns and allow unhindered humanitarian access.

“I implore both sides to uphold this agreement - the eyes of the world are watching.”

The war broke out in Khartoum on 15 April following days of tension as members of the RSF were redeployed around the country in a move that the army saw as a threat.

BBC