US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reports that warring parties in Sudan have consented to a 72-hour ceasefire beginning at midnight (22:00 GMT) tonight.
At least the third ceasefire has been proclaimed since the outbreak of violence this month, but none of them have held.
The agreement with the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) was reached after 48 hours of negotiations, according to Mr. Blinken.
At least 400 individuals are known to have perished since the outbreak of fighting.
“We affirm our commitment to a complete ceasefire during the ceasefire period,” the RSF said in a statement in support of Mr. Blinken’s declaration.
The military has not yet commented publicly.
Since the outbreak of violence approximately one week ago, residents of the capital Khartoum have been advised to remain indoors, and food and water supplies are running low.
The bombing has damaged vital infrastructure, such as water pipelines, forcing some people to drink from the River Nile.
There is optimism that the ceasefire will permit civilians to evacuate the city. Foreign governments will also anticipate that evacuations will be permitted.
As combat raged in densely populated, central areas of the capital, countries scrambled to evacuate their diplomats and civilians.
NetBlocks, a monitoring group, reported on Monday that Sudan is experiencing a “internet blackout” with connectivity at 2% of normal levels. Khartoum has been without internet access since Sunday night.
Why have hostilities erupted in Sudan?
On April 15, fighting broke out in the capital city of Khartoum between rival military factions vying for control of the third largest country in Africa.
It followed days of tension caused by the RSF’s redeployment across the nation, which the army perceived as a threat.
Since a coup in 2021, Sudan has been governed by a council of generals, led by the two military men at the centre of this dispute: Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the armed forces and de facto the country’s president, and Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, his deputy and leader of the RSF.
They disagree on the country’s future course and the proposed transition to civilian rule.
Plans to incorporate the 100,000-strong RSF into the army and who would command the new force are the primary sticking points.
Gen Dagalo has accused Gen Burhan’s government of being “radical Islamists” and stated that he and the RSF were “fighting for the Sudanese people to ensure the long-awaited democratic progress”
Given the RSF’s violent past, many find it difficult to believe this message.
Gen Burhan has stated that he supports returning to civilian rule, but will only transfer authority to an elected government.
