Sporadic clashes between Sudan’s army and a paramilitary force continued into Thursday, disrupting Khartoum’s relative calm and raising the risk of a week-long truce falling apart amid humanitarian concerns.
After five weeks of fighting in Khartoum and other parts of Sudan, including Darfur, the Saudi-US-monitored ceasefire was reached.
A power struggle between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has worsened a humanitarian crisis, forced more than 1.3 million people to flee, and threatened to destabilize a fragile region.
The Sudan ceasefire monitoring mechanism observed artillery, military aircraft, and drones on Wednesday, according to the U.S. State Department.
Washington warned that Russia’s Wagner mercenary group was supplying the RSF with surface-to-air missiles to fight Sudan’s army, “contributing to a prolonged armed conflict that only results in further chaos in the region.”
The RSF hides in Khartoum’s streets while the army relies on air power. It’s unclear who’s ahead. Eyewitnesses reported clashes in Khartoum, Omdurman, and El Obeid on Thursday.
The health ministry reported 730 deaths and 5,454 injuries, but the true number is likely higher.
U.N. Darfur coordinator Toby Harward reported militias besieging Zalingei, Central Darfur State’s capital. He added that motorcycle gangs have attacked hospitals, government and aid offices, banks, and homes, cutting off communications.
After 510 people died in El Geneina, the West Darfur State capital, residents lost communication for days
