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Sudanese fighting resumes as the cease-fire takes effect

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On Tuesday, a 24-hour cease-fire reportedly reached by rival generals in Sudan went into effect, but fighting continued in the capital, making it uncertain whether it would last.

Residents reported hearing gunfire and explosions in various areas of Khartoum, especially in the vicinity of the military’s headquarters and the Republican Palace, which serves as the capital. Although there were large crowds outside some bakeries, they claimed that few people had ventured outside.

The Sudan Doctors’ Syndicate’s Atiya Abdulla Atiya told The Associated Press that “the fighting is still going on.” “We are constantly hearing gunfire.”

The Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese military agreed to a ceasefire at six o’clock local time on the fourth day of intense fighting. While the army remained silent, the RSF immediately accused the military of breaking the cease-fire.

The two sides had continued to engage in combat throughout the day in Khartoum, highlighting the futility of attempts to even temporarily halt the rising violence that has raised the possibility of civil war in Africa’s third-largest country.

As rival forces bombarded residential areas with artillery and airstrikes and engaged in gunfights outside, millions of Sudanese in the capital and other cities have been hiding in their homes. Residents have reported finding dead bodies in the streets that were inaccessible due to fighting, suggesting that the actual death toll will likely be much higher than the 185 confirmed by the U.N. so far since fighting started on Saturday.

Fighters in Khartoum recently attacked a U.S. Embassy convoy and barged into the residence of the EU envoy to Sudan, but neither attack resulted in casualties. The line-up of visibly identified U.S.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that embassy vehicles were attacked on Monday, and initial reports connect the attackers to the Rapid Support Forces, the paramilitary group battling Sudan’s military. He claimed that everyone in the convoy was secure.

After decades of military rule, the Sudanese were attempting to revive their campaign for a democratic, civilian government when the violence broke out. Blinken had stepped up efforts for a cease-fire amid mounting alarm.

He had separate phone conversations late on Monday with the two opposing generals, Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, head of the armed forces, and Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the leader of the RSF. He was requesting a 24-hour ceasefire as a building block for a longer ceasefire and a return to talks.

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After speaking with Blinken, Dagalo claimed in a series of tweets on Tuesday that he had approved a 24-hour humanitarian ceasefire.

At first, the military vowed to intensify the conflict and claimed that it was “not aware of any coordination with mediators” on a cease-fire. The conflict had “entered the decisive phase,” it declared, and the RSF would suffer a “crushing defeat” in the hours to come.

Later, Lt. Gen. Shams El Din Kabbashi was quoted by satellite channels Al Arabiya and Al Jazeera as saying that the military would adhere to the cease-fire beginning at 6 p.m. local time (1600 GMT). CNN Arabic cited Burhan as saying that the military would participate in the one-day ceasefire.

However, there was no public declaration of a cease-fire by military authorities.

A coalition of political parties and pro-democracy organizations claimed to have heard “positive positions” on the day-long humanitarian pause from military and RSF leaders just before the cease-fire began. It stated that discussions were taking place to “solidify that truce.”

Early on Tuesday, more military tanks and armored vehicles entered Khartoum on their way to the Republican Palace and the military’s headquarters, according to locals. Fighter jets flew overhead during the night, and anti-aircraft fire illuminated the sky.

Conflicts were still being reported in the afternoon near the military headquarters and close to the nearby airport, both of which were active battlegrounds. The two sides engaged in fighting throughout the day near major bases and important government structures, all of which are located in populated areas.

Tens of thousands of soldiers from each side are already dispersed around Khartoum and Omdurman, a city on the opposite bank of the Nile River. The terrified people who have been trapped in their homes for days have prayed for a stop at least long enough to get supplies or leave for safer places.

At the beginning of the final week of the Islamic holy month of fasting, Ramadan, fighting broke out suddenly.

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One of the 89 students and employees trapped in the engineering building at Khartoum University, Mohammed Al Faki, said, “We are trying to take advantage of Ramadan to try to continue our faith and prayer.” We are attempting to support one another by remaining patient until the crisis is resolved.

He claimed that a sniper killed one student, and his body was buried on the school’s grounds. The staff and students make an effort to remain inside, but occasionally, he claimed, they have to leave for supplies, risking harassment from RSF fighters engaged in nearby combat with troops.

We are being attacked in the streets, they say. They’re pillaging. Even your phone will be taken from you while you are walking down the street. The RSF has no safety, according to the 19-year-old student. How do we leave these two square kilometers? is our main issue.

More than 185 people have died and 1,800 have been injured as a result of fighting, according to U.N. figures, which do not differentiate between civilians and combatants. At least 144 civilians were killed and more than 1,400 people were injured, according to the Sudan Doctors’ Syndicate, but many more were still unreachable and could not be counted.

The fighting has caused extensive damage. Souq al-Bahri, a sizable outdoor market in northern Khartoum, was seen on videos posted online on Tuesday engulfed in flames due to nearby clashes. Damage was visible in Khartoum on Monday according to satellite images taken by Maxar Technologies, including security service buildings. Tanks were stationed at various locations, including a bridge over the White Nile River.

Around 20 damaged civilian and military aircraft were visible in Monday’s satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC, which were also taken at Khartoum International Airport, which has a military section. One was still belching smoke, while others had been completely destroyed. Several fighter jets were among the destroyed aircraft at the El Obeid and Merowe air bases, located north and south of Khartoum, respectively.

Josep Borrell, the head of foreign policy for the European Union, tweeted on Monday that the EU ambassador to Sudan “was assaulted in his own residency,” but he didn’t provide any additional information.

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A Western diplomat in Cairo reported that armed men wearing RSF uniforms ransacked the home. The diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, claimed that no one was hurt but that the armed men stole several items.

The residence of the Norwegian ambassador was struck by a shell early on Sunday, but no one was hurt, according to Anniken Huitfeldt, the foreign minister of Norway.

The fighting is the most recent episode in Sudan’s unrest since a popular uprising helped remove longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir four years ago.

Burhan and Dagalo collaborated to plan a coup in October 2021, which failed to establish a civilian government. Both of these generals have a history of violating human rights, and their armies have repressed pro-democracy activists.

Burhan and Dagalo recently consented to a framework agreement with political parties and pro-democracy organizations under international pressure. The signing, however, was repeatedly postponed as unrest broke out on Saturday over the RSF’s integration into the armed forces and the future chain of command. Conflicts were still being reported in the afternoon near the military headquarters and close to the nearby airport, both of which were active battlegrounds.

The two sides engaged in fighting throughout the day near major bases and important government structures, all of which are located in populated areas.

Tens of thousands of soldiers from each side are already dispersed around Khartoum and Omdurman, a city on the opposite bank of the Nile River. The terrified people who have been trapped in their homes for days have prayed for a stop at least long enough to get supplies or leave for safer places.

At the beginning of the final week of the Islamic holy month of fasting, Ramadan, fighting broke out suddenly.

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