The current truce failed to stop fighting in the Sudanese capital Khartoum and other regions, but it created a lull for foreign countries to evacuate their diplomats and citizens…reports Asian Lite News
Trilateral Mechanism the Quad on Sudan released a joint statement on Sudan welcoming the announcement by the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to extend the current ceasefire for an additional 72 hours.
Trilateral Mechanism, which includes the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the United Nations, and the Quad including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States, have released a joint statement in which they have welcomed the announcement of 72-hour ceasefire and called for its full implementation.
“Members of the Trilateral Mechanism and the Quad welcome the announcement by the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to extend the current ceasefire for an additional 72 hours and call for its full implementation,” the joint statement released by the US Department of State read.
“We also welcome their readiness to engage in dialogue toward establishing a more durable cessation of hostilities and ensuring unimpeded humanitarian access. This initial phase of diplomacy to establish a process to achieve a permanent cessation of hostilities and humanitarian arrangements will contribute to action on the development of a de-escalation plan as outlined in the April 20 African Union communique, which was endorsed by the League of Arab States, the European Union, the Troika, and other bilateral partners,” the statement read further.
In the final hours of the repeatedly broken three-day truce, due to end at midnight (22:00 GMT) on Thursday, the army said it would extend the ceasefire “for an additional 72 hours” following mediation efforts by Saudi Arabia and the United States, Al Jazeera wrote.
But there are continuing reports of heavy fighting in the capital Khartoum, BBC reported.
It reported that RSF and eyewitnesses said the army had been pounding its positions in Khartoum.
The fighting between the warring factions escalated through Thursday in the city and its environs, as well as in the country’s restive south-west, The Guardian reported.
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the Army’s general commander, gave initial approval for the extension of the cease-fire late on Wednesday, reiterating it unilaterally approved the truce extension.
The RSF also said it approved the extended truce, adding that the proposal came from two diplomatic groupings that include the US, Saudi Arabia, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates.
The previous ceasefire has not stopped the fighting but created enough of a space for hundreds of common people to flee to safer areas and for foreign nations to evacuate hundreds of their citizens by land and sea.
However, taking advantage of the ceasefire, India has so far evacuated eight batches of stranded Indians who are being brought to India via Jeddah.
Together, the army and the RSF toppled a civilian government in an October 2021 coup but are now locked in a power struggle that has derailed an internationally-backed transition to democracy and is threatening to destabilise a fragile region.
The army claims it controls most of Sudan’s regions and is defeating a large RSF deployment in Khartoum, where some residential areas have turned into war zones.
Egypt receives over 16k foreigners
Egypt has received more than 16,000 foreigners fleeing the deadly violence in neighbouring Sudan, including over 14,000 Sudanese national, the Foreign Ministry in Cairo said in a statement.
The foreigners are from 50 countries and six international organisations, Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in the statement.
“The Egyptian efforts continue around the clock to facilitate the reception of citizens fleeing military clashes in Sudan, work to alleviate their suffering, and provide them with the necessary humanitarian assistance,” Xinhua news agency quoted Abu Zeid as saying.
Egypt has managed to evacuate 2,679 Egyptians from Sudan as of Wednesday, official data showed. (with inputs from agencies)