A ceasefire has been declared in Sudan at 6 p.m. Dutch time, but according to eyewitnesses in the capital Khartoum, fighting is still going on. It was agreed that the weapons would be silent for 24 hours. There was little left of a similar agreement yesterday: Within minutes gunfire could be heard again in the capital Khartoum.
The army agreed to the deal just before the time when the truce was to take effect. The rival paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had already agreed to it earlier today. The file is intended to facilitate humanitarian aid and to give citizens the opportunity to find a safe haven.
Eyewitnesses told the BBC that thousands of Khartoum residents left the city this morning, by car or on foot, amid the violence of war. Several countries want to remove their embassy staff and other compatriots from Sudan. An evacuation attempt by Germany failed this afternoon because air raids were carried out on Khartoum.
These inhabitants also leave Khartoum:
The Netherlands is sending two Hercules transport aircraft to Jordan in preparation for a possible evacuation of the Dutch from Sudan.
Power struggle
For the fifth day in a row, heavy fighting has erupted in various parts of the country between army units and RSF paramilitaries. The generals in charge of the army and the RSF fight a fierce power struggle; it is unclear who has the upper hand.
According to the UN World Health Organization, about 300 people have been killed and more than 3,000 injured since the outbreak of the fighting. Because there is a lot of uncertainty about the situation in the country, the actual figures could be much higher.
Chad: military disarmed
Chad, which shares a long border with Sudan, says it has stopped and disarmed a unit of 320 Sudanese soldiers on Chadian territory. Chad closed its border on Saturday after fighting broke out in the neighboring country. Yet thousands of refugees from Sudan are crossing the border, says the Chadian defense minister. “We have no choice but to welcome and protect them.”
It is unclear whether the Sudanese soldiers came to Chad with the refugee stream or crossed the border in some other way. The international community is concerned about the conflict in Sudan and the risk of involvement of other countries in the region.
