KHARTOUM, Sudan – Sudan’s warring parties have agreed to a three-day ceasefire starting from midnight on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, as international efforts to evacuate civilians from the war-torn African country continue.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the ceasefire after “intense negotiation over the past 48 hours”. According to UN agencies, the violence in Sudan has killed at least 427 people and wounded more than 3,700.
“The violence risks a catastrophic conflagration within Sudan that could engulf the whole region and beyond,” warned UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday. He urged the UN Security Council members to exert maximum leverage to end the conflict.
The Rapid Support Forces, RSF, one of the warring parties, agreed to the truce “in order to open humanitarian corridors, facilitate the movement of citizens and residents. Also to enable them to fulfill their needs, reach hospitals and safe areas, and evacuate diplomatic missions,” the group said in a statement.
Many countries have been racing to evacuate their citizens and diplomats as fighting raged in densely populated parts of the capital.
Brief lulls in the conflict have allowed foreign civilians to safely flee Sudan.
If the current ceasefire endures, it may provide a chance to deliver essential resources such as food and medical supplies to those in need.
