The 24-hour truce between the two sides of the fighting in Sudan, which came into force on Saturday morning, gave Khartoum residents a rare breathing space since the fighting began about two months ago, as they stressed that it provided a calm they had not promised during previous agreements broken by both sides.

Edited by| Hugh Gey

Politic section -  CJ journalist

 Sudan conflict news section  

Khartoum - June,10,2023

Since the beginning of the conflict on April 15 between the army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support forces led by Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, the two sides have concluded more than one ceasefire agreement, which was quickly violated.

The new truce came into force at six in the morning (04.00 GMT). Hours after its start, residents in the capital reported that calm reigns throughout its various parts, and they do not hear echoes of shelling, clashes or warplanes.

Although the expectations of the population about the truce were modest, but the cessation of fighting on Friday allowed the people of the capital to buy their necessary needs without being trapped in the fighting.

Khartoum, which was home to more than five million people before the fighting began, like other cities, is suffering from food shortages, electricity outages and a decline in basic services. Hundreds of thousands of its residents have left it since the fighting began.

Khartoum residents did not expect much from a truce that, even if it holds, will be brief.

As with previous agreements, the truce focuses on ensuring humanitarian access to Sudan's estimated 45 million people, more than half of whom are in need of assistance in a country that was already one of the poorest in the world.

Despite the parties ' affirmation of their intention to respect the truce, the army stressed that it reserves the "right to deal with any violations" from the support forces, while the latter hoped that the army would not hinder "humanitarian aid efforts to alleviate the suffering of citizens".

The calm of the battles did not reflect a panacea for the suffering in the capital.

Observers doubted that the truce would establish a different course as long as the circumstances were the same.

"Unfortunately, the incentives have not changed, so it is difficult to imagine that a truce based on the same basic pillars, especially for such a short period, will have a radically different result, "said Professor at the Swedish University of Gothenburg Ali Fergie.

But"some reduction in the level of violence would be welcome by those living under the yoke of bullets".

The conflict has claimed more than 1,800 lives, according to the armed conflict events and location data project (acleid). But the actual number of victims may be much higher, according to aid agencies and international organizations.

According to the UN International Organization for Migration, the conflict has caused the displacement of about two million people, including more than 476 thousand who have crossed into neighboring countries.

The announcement of the new truce came in a joint Saudi - American statement, in which the parties, who have been leading mediation between the belligerents for weeks, expressed their disappointment at the failure of all attempts to calm down.

In announcing the new truce, Saudi Arabia and the United States warned that "if the parties do not comply with this truce, they will be forced to postpone the talks".

Fergie said Riyadh and Washington are continuing their efforts "because the mediator's job is to keep trying even if things look bleak".

The truce comes the day after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres renewed his confidence in his German envoy Volker Peretz, after the Sudanese government considered him an "undesirable"person.

Secretary-general's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that this "contradicts" the principles of the United Nations and"cannot be applied," stressing that Peretz's character "has not changed at the moment" and enjoys Guterres ' confidence.

The Sudanese Foreign Ministry announced last Thursday that Peretz was an "undesirable person", after the organization refrained from responding to proof's request to replace Peretz after accusing him of fueling the conflict.

In early June, the UN Security Council extended for six months the mission of the "United Nations Integrated Mission to support the transitional phase in Sudan" (unitams), headed by Peretz.

Humanitarian organizations repeatedly warn of the seriousness of the humanitarian situation in Sudan, especially in Khartoum and the Darfur region (west), where the fighting is most intense.

According to medical sources, three quarters of the hospitals in the combat zones are out of Service. It is feared that the crisis will worsen with the approach of the rainy season, which threatens to re-spread malaria, food insecurity and child malnutrition.

The outgoing head of the Red Cross mission, Alfonso ferdo Perez, warned on Friday that the health situation "could collapse at any time," especially in Khartoum and the Darfur region (west), which has witnessed a bloody conflict for two decades.

Before the latest truce came into force at six in the morning (04.00 GMT), residents reported the firing of anti-aircraft missiles in the south of Khartoum and the East Nile region on the other bank of the river, which also witnessed air strikes.

The US State Department said late on Friday that it was supporting a platform called the Sudan conflict Observatory to publish the results of satellite observations of the fighting and the ceasefire.

The United Nations has said more than half of Sudan's population will need aid this year because of the fighting, with most hospitals in conflict zones out of action and food supplies dwindling in many areas.

The previous ceasefire allowed some humanitarian aid to arrive, but aid agencies said they were still hampered by fighting, bureaucratic restrictions and looting.

The fighting led to the displacement of more than 1.9 million people, more than 400 thousand of whom crossed the border into neighboring countries.

The war has also hampered the transition to civilian rule four years after a popular uprising ousted President Omar al-Bashir.

The dispute between the army and the "Rapid Support" forces revolved around plans to integrate paramilitary forces into the army and reorganize the chain of command within the framework of the transition phase.

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