A new ceasefire agreement in Sudan came into effect this morning, Sunday, with both parties demonstrating commitment to the agreement and reports of a noticeable calm on various fronts.
A joint Saudi-American statement indicated that the warring parties in Sudan agreed to a new ceasefire for 72 hours starting from 6 AM local time on Sunday. The statement said: "Both parties agreed that during the ceasefire period, they would refrain from movements and attacks, the use of military aircraft or drones, artillery shelling, reinforcing positions, or resupplying forces, and from attempting to gain military advantages during the ceasefire. They also agreed to allow freedom of movement and delivery of humanitarian aid throughout Sudan." The Rapid Support Forces in Sudan announced yesterday, Saturday, that they would accept any agreement leading to a new truce whenever they saw seriousness from the other party, referring to the Sudanese army.
On the health front, the Sudanese Ministry of Health announced that over 3,000 people have died and 6,000 have been injured since the outbreak of the conflict. Sudanese Minister of Health Haitham Ibrahim told "Al-Hadath" channel that more than three thousand fatalities and six thousand injuries have occurred since the conflict erupted in Sudan. He added that "half of Khartoum’s hospitals, which number 130, are still operational, while all hospitals in West Darfur state are out of service."
Amid talks of a ceasefire, fuel tanks caught fire near the armored forces in Khartoum, creating choking black smoke in the city after it was bombarded.
In the latest developments, the situation escalated with increasing clashes and bombings. The Rapid Support Forces in Sudan announced today, Saturday, that they shot down a MiG warplane belonging to the army south of Khartoum. The statement from the Rapid Support Forces did not provide details about the fate of the aircraft’s crew but accused the army’s aviation of targeting residential neighborhoods south of the capital, resulting in numerous casualties.
Sudanese army sources confirmed that an army Sukhoi 25 fighter jet crashed south of Khartoum due to a technical malfunction, noting that the crew survived.
Air Strikes
A local resistance committee reported late that 13 people were killed in shelling in Al-Lamab west of Khartoum, describing the area as "a zone of operations." In Geneina, West Darfur state, more than 270,000 have fled across the border to Chad after over a thousand people were killed in attacks blamed by residents and the United States on the Rapid Support Forces and allied militants.
A Chadian military source and a local official in the Chadian town of Adré, which many fleeing residents have reached, denied reports of clashes between Chadian soldiers and the Rapid Support Forces. The presidency stated that Chadian President General Mahamat Idriss Déby visited the area to assess the escalating humanitarian crisis and ensure the border remains closed.
The war has deprived millions in Khartoum of electricity, water, and healthcare, forcing residents to ration food and report rampant looting.
