After heavy air raids
New ceasefire agreed in Sudan
06/17/2023, 10:31 p.m
The parties to the conflict in Sudan have already agreed ceasefires several times, and they are broken again and again. Now there is the next try. It follows serious attacks in one of the poorest districts of the capital – with people who have no chance of escaping.
In Sudan, the army and RSF militia have again reached a ceasefire agreement amid ongoing fighting. The United States and Saudi Arabia said Saturday night that both sides had agreed on a 72-hour ceasefire that was due to begin Sunday morning. In the power struggle that broke out openly on April 15 between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) RSF militia, several ceasefires have been agreed so far, but these have repeatedly been broken.
According to official figures, 17 people, including five children, were killed in airstrikes by the army on the Sudanese capital Khartoum. Around 25 houses were destroyed in the Mayo district in the south of the capital, the health authority said and confirmed the reports from residents. Regular forces have air supremacy over Khartoum and the adjacent cities of Omdurman and Bahri. The RSF, in turn, has entrenched itself in the residential areas. On Friday and Saturday, the army apparently intensified its airstrikes and shelled several residential areas.
According to the Sudanese health minister, more than 3,000 people have been killed and more than 6,000 injured in the fighting. Around 2.2 million people were displaced in the course of the fighting. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled to neighboring countries – more than 270,000 to Chad alone. Observers fear a destabilization of the entire region.
People have no chance of escaping
The shelling of Mayo is the latest in a string of air and artillery attacks on the poor and densely populated area. Most residents there cannot afford to seek safety elsewhere. Across Khartoum, millions of people are cut off from electricity and water supplies. They have no access to medical care. Food has already been rationed. There is always looting.
In a speech released by the army on Friday, top general Yasser Al-Atta warned people to stay away from houses occupied by the RSF. “Because by that time, we’re going to attack them everywhere,” he said. “There are bullets between us and these rebels,” he said, apparently rejecting further attempts at mediation.