Despite a week of negotiations in the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah, the opposing paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese army issued a statement on Friday pledging to continue negotiations in the hopes of reaching a short-term truce, according to US officials quoted by Reuters.
Written by Chris Muhizi Minembwe Capital News 1:10pm Nairobi Kenya Time.
According to US officials, the warring factions in Sudan have vowed to protect civilians and ensure the flow of humanitarian supplies, but a truce is still elusive.
A senior US State Department source noted, on the condition of anonymity, “The two sides are fairly far apart. According to the official, negotiators working with Saudi and US mediators have a 10-day deadline for completing a cease-fire agreement.
The proclamation, which was signed early on Friday, according to a senior US State Department official, aims to facilitate the flow of humanitarian supplies and start the process of restoring water and electrical services.
According to the World Health Organisation, the conflict has claimed the lives of more than 600 people and injured more than 5,000 others. According to Sudan’s Health Ministry, the western Darfur area had at least 450 fatalities.
According to United Nations statistics, many people have fled Khartoum and Darfur, displacing hundreds of thousands of people internally and forcing more than 200,000 refugees into neighbouring states.
On Thursday, fighting erupted in Halfaya, which serves as a gateway to Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. Residents in Khartoum, Khartoum North, and the neighbouring city of Omdurman reported hearing jets circle overhead, although the battle looked to be less intense.
Neither side has publicly indicated that it is prepared to make compromises to put an end to the dispute that started abruptly last month. A civil war might break out in Sudan as a result of the conflict, killing hundreds of people and bringing about a humanitarian disaster.
Previous cease-fire agreements have been broken frequently, leaving citizens to survive in a horrific environment of turmoil and bombing with limited food, water, and power, as well as a failing healthcare system.