The Army and the RSF paramilitaries announce a 24-hour ceasefire agreement in Sudan

The Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have announced an agreement on Tuesday for a 24-hour ceasefire, after fighting that broke out on Saturday and has so far left at least 185 dead and close to 1,800 injured, according to the latest balance provided by the United Nations.

The leader of the RSF, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, alias 'Hemedti', who has held a conversation with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, in recent hours, has indicated that following these contacts with the United States and "other friendly nations ", the RSF have given their approval to "a 24-hour armistice". "Unfortunately, the Sudanese Armed Forces have not respected this ceasefire and have shelled densely populated areas, endangering civilian lives," he added.

"These actions are a flagrant violation of the pillars and principles of International Law and Humanitarian Law," he pointed out through a series of messages published on his account on the social network Twitter. "We look forward to further discussions with the US Secretary of State to see how to address these violations," she added.

For its part, a spokesman for the Armed Forces has indicated through Twitter that the Army "has no record of any coordination with the mediators and the international community around a truce." "The rebels' declaration of a 24-hour truce seeks to cover up the crushing defeat that they will suffer in a few hours. We have entered a critical phase and our efforts are focused on achieving the objectives at the operational level," he stressed.

However, shortly after, General Shamselín Kabashi, a member of the Sovereign Transition Council, confirmed a 24-hour ceasefire in statements given to the Emirati television channel Al Arabiya and detailed that it will come into force at 6:00 p.m. local).

"We will respect the ceasefire and we will monitor the RSF's commitment to it," he said, before stressing that the Sovereign Transitional Council regrets the outbreak of fighting and defending that the Armed Forces were forced to participate in hostilities. by the actions of the paramilitary force.

Likewise, it has said that the Army "does not accept any mediation that prevents it from facing the rebels" and has accused members of the RSF of participating in looting and using civilians as human shields in the framework of hostilities.

"We control the RSF bases in all the states, except for two," he stressed, while stressing that Al Burhan is in good health and directing military operations. Finally, he has rejected 'Hemedti's' criticism of Al Burhan and his call to arrest him to bring him to justice and has stated that "it is a clear act of rebellion."

The fighting broke out on Saturday in the context of an increase in tensions over the reform of the security apparatus and the integration of the paramilitary force within the Armed Forces, a key part of an agreement signed in December to form a new civil government and reactivate the transition.

The talks process began with international mediation after Al Burhan led a coup in October 2021 that overthrew the then unity prime minister, Abdalá Hamdok, appointed to the position as a result of contacts between civilians and the military after the riot of April 2019, which put an end to 30 years of the regime of Omar Hasan al Bashir.