By Brian Okoth
Rivaling parties in Sudan – the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – have signed an agreement to avoid harming civilians as fight over control persists in the African nation.
The two factions signed the accord in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Thursday, the Saudi government said in a statement.
“The declaration of commitment recognises the obligations of both sides, under international humanitarian and human rights law to facilitate humanitarian action to meet the emergency needs of civilians,” the statement signed jointly by the Saudi government and the USA said.
“The declaration of commitment will guide the conduct of the two forces to enable the safe delivery of humanitarian assistance, the restoration of essential services, the withdrawal of forces from hospitals and clinics, and the respectful burial of the dead.”
The agreement, however, does not mean that the rivaling groups have signed a ceasefire, officials privy to the talks held in the port city of Jeddah said.
“Following the signing, the Jeddah talks will focus on reaching agreement on an effective ceasefire of up to approximately ten days to facilitate these activities. The security measures will include a US-Saudi and international-supported ceasefire monitoring mechanism,” the joint statement said.
The RSF and the army began talks on Saturday in attempts to reach a ceasefire to facilitate emergency humanitarian assistance to Sudan.
The fighting in the nation, which began on April 15, has left more than 600 people dead and 5,100 injured, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on May 9.
