Sudan weeklong ceasefire to take effect to allow delivery of humanitarian aid

Humanitarian aid packages provided by India to Sudan are unloaded off of an Indian Air Force transport aircraft on the tarmac at Port Sudan airport. (Photograph: AFP/Getty Images)

A weeklong ceasefire in Sudan^[1] intended to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid is due to come into effect on Monday evening, after world powers put pressure on the army and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces to sign a deal.

The US and Saudi Arabia announced the deal^[2] to stop six weeks of fighting, saying it would come into force at 9.45pm (7.45pm BST). Previous attempts at a truce have fallen apart.

Fighting has pitted the Sudanese army, led by Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, against the RSF, led by Burhan’s former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. More than a million people have been displaced, and millions more trapped with limited access to water, electricity and medicine.

Aid agencies have struggled to operate amid the violence, with facilities attacked during the conflict. At the weekend, the Sudanese Journalists’ Syndicate accused the RSF of robbing and attacking reporters last week.

Ahmed Fadol, a reporter, and Rashid Jibril, a freelance videographer, at Al Jazeera were beaten along with their relatives who were in an apartment when RSF soldiers raided it last week, the syndicate said.

They lived in Shambat neighbourhood in Bahri Khartoum North, which has almost been emptied of residents, located next to a military base. The area has witnessed fierce fighting between the army and the RSF.

“The journalists’ syndicate rejects targeting and terrorising the journalists and holds the parties of the armed conflict full responsibility of their safety while they are working in extremely complex conditions,” the syndicate said in a statement.

The neighbourhood and others nearby also experienced severe power and water cuts.

In West Darfur state, Inaam Elnour, a journalist, was injured and three of her brothers were killed when a shell targeted her house in el-Geinana last week, with 2,000 other people killed during clashes between the armed forces since 15 April.

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In South Darfur state’s capital city, Neyala, two journalists were assaulted; Khalid Sharaf was injured on his arm and leg by a missile that targeted his house on Sunday, and Eissa Dafaallah was arrested and beaten by the RSF while he was covering the looting and burning of a market. Dafaallah was later released after being accused of working for the army intelligence.

A number of other local journalists, some working with regional media outlets, complained that their names were put on a list, accusing them of supporting the RSF.

References

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