Extension of ending ceasefire in Sudan uncertain

The de facto president and commander of the Sudanese army, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, told the Arabic television channel Al-Jazeera in the afternoon that all efforts must focus on a ceasefire for humanitarian purposes. At the same time, he accused the rival, paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighting the army of breaking the ceasefire.

The ceasefire brokered by the US and Saudi Arabia a week ago was supposed to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered to the country. According to the mediators, however, both sides broke the ceasefire.

During the week there were repeated reports of shootings, airstrikes, bombings and looting by both sides in the capital Khartoum. According to the coordinator of the UN refugee agency in Darfur, there has also been heavy fighting in the western part of the country. It was therefore impossible to provide humanitarian aid in the region.

The UN World Food Program (WFP) has now started distributing food in the capital. The WFP said it began reaching and caring for thousands of people in Khartoum on Saturday.

The three-day distribution is WFP’s first since fighting broke out in the city. WFP says it has distributed food to more than 12,000 people in the Omdurman areas of Greater Khartoum. Other supplies have also been made available. WFP called on all parties to facilitate the safe delivery of needed food.

“This is a major breakthrough. Finally we can help the families stuck in Khartoum struggling to survive every day,” said Eddie Rowe, WFP country director in Sudan. Since the fighting began, attempts have been made to reach the people there. At the end of last week, a time window opened that made distribution possible.

In the country on the Horn of Africa, a long-simmering power struggle escalated violently on April 15. The army is fighting against the RSF of his former deputy, Mohammed Hamdan Daglo. The two generals seized power together in 2021, but later fell out.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:230529-99-869225/3