Week-long ceasefire begins in Sudan

Kathmandu: A week-long ceasefire agreed by Sudan’s warring factions has begun to allow for the delivery of aid.

The ceasefire, which was agreed to on Saturday after five weeks of fierce battles between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has begun at 9:45pm local time on Monday.

The ceasefire deal includes a monitoring mechanism involving the army and the RSF as well as representatives from Saudi Arabia and the United States, which brokered the agreement after talks in Jeddah.

The deal has raised hopes of a pause in fighting that erupted on April 15 and has driven nearly 1.1 million people from their homes, including more than 250,000 who have fled into neighbouring countries.

Though fighting has continued through previous ceasefires, this is the first truce to be formally agreed following negotiations.

Sudan’s army conducted air attacks in the capital Khartoum, hours before the deal aimed at allowing the delivery of aid was due to take effect.

Amid uncertainty, United Nations special envoy to Sudan Volker Perthes warned on Monday that the fighting could turn into an ethnic-driven conflict if the warring parties do not respect and extend the ceasefire, which should allow civilians to move and give access to humanitarian aid.

‘This is a welcome development, though the fighting and troop movements have continued even today, despite a commitment of both sides not to pursue military advantage before the ceasefire takes effect,’ Perthes told the UN Security Council in New York.

‘In parts of the country, fighting between the two armies or the two armed formations has sharpened into communal tensions, or triggered conflict between communities,’ Aljazeera quoted Perthes as saying.

Perthes added that ‘signs of tribal mobilisation’ had also been reported in other parts of the country, particularly in South Kordofan.