Sudan's army and its rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have said Sunday they would extend a humanitarian cease-fire for a further 72 hours.
The decision follows international pressure to allow the safe passage of civilians and aid but the shaky truce has not so far stopped the clashes.
This is coming as UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says he would send an envoy to Sudan to discuss the ''unprecedented'' situation in the country - hoping this will help quell the deadly violence. This adds to a chorus of calls for a permanent end to hostilities.
"In response to international, regional and local calls, we announce the extension of the humanitarian truce for 72 hours, starting from midnight tonight, in order to open humanitarian corridors and facilitate the movement of citizens and residents and enable them to fulfil their needs and reach safe areas," RSF said in a statement.
Sudanese army has also confirmed an extension of the truce for three days. Since the conflict broke out, efforts to achieve a permanent ceasefire with the temporary fragile one repeatedly violated.
At least 528 people have been killed and more than 4,500 injured in fighting between two rival generals – army chief Abdel Fattah Burhan and RSF commander Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo – since April 15, according to Sudan's Health Ministry.
A disagreement had been fomenting in recent months between the army and the paramilitary force regarding the proposed integration of the RSF into the armed forces, a key condition of Sudan's transition agreement with political groups.
Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021 when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency in a move decried by political forces as a “coup.”
Sudan’s transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, was scheduled to end with elections in early 2024. The current deadly fighting appears to have derailed it again.
