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As violence increases in Sudan, Saudi Arabia and the US demand an immediate cease-fire

As hostilities in the country of Sudan showed no signs of stopping, Saudi Arabia and the United States encouraged its warring sides to accept and “effectively implement” a fresh cease-fire on Sunday. After violence broke out in mid-April between the military, under the direction of Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, under the command of Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, Sudan fell into anarchy. Saudi Arabia and the US have been acting as mediators between the warring sides for weeks. Both nations were successful in negotiating a brief cessation of hostilities on May 21 in order to facilitate the delivery of much needed humanitarian assistance to the country.www.theindiaprint.com download 2023 06 04t214826.703

However, their attempts were derailed when the military said on Wednesday that it would no longer take part in the cease-fire negotiations taking place in the Saudi seaside city of Jeddah. The US and Saudi Arabia announced the suspension of negotiations after the military’s decision “as a result of repeated serious violations of the short-term cease-fire”. The government of President Joe Biden announced sanctions on important Sudanese defence firms controlled by the military, the RSF, and individuals who “perpetuate violence” in Sudan. Washington and Riyad stated in a statement on Sunday that they were still in contact with RSF and military officials who were still in Jeddah.

They encouraged the warring parties in Sudan to agree to and carry out a fresh cease-fire after the most recent one, which had expired late Saturday, was violated. According to them, the goal is to finally secure a permanent cease of hostilities in the nation. According to the statement, the meetings were mostly about “facilitating humanitarian assistance” and coming to an understanding on “near-term steps the parties must take” before continuing the negotiations. Residential areas all around the nation have been looted and destroyed as a consequence of the violence, which has transformed the capital city of Khartoum and other metropolitan areas into battlegrounds. More than 1.65 million people have also been displaced by the fighting as they have migrated to safer locations in the Sudan and its surrounding nations.

Health care institutions, offices of aid organisations, and other civilian infrastructure have all been destroyed and plundered. Most recently, on January 1, the World Food Programme’s warehouses in the North Kordofan city of Obeid were targeted. In Khartoum and the western Darfur area, which has witnessed some of the heaviest fighting in the Sudan, there have been allegations of sexual assault, including the rape of women and children. Nearly every instance of claimed sexual assault was attributed to the RSF, which ignored repeated demands for comment. Residents of Khartoum and its surrounding towns Omdurman and Bahri reported heavy violence over the previous two days.

Early on Sunday, shooting and shelling were audible in certain areas of Omdurman as military planes struck RSF positions close to the city. Fighting was also reported in the area of Darfur’s north, which has seen some of the worst clashes since the conflict started on April 15. In the North Darfur provincial town of Kutum, fighting between the military and the RSF became more intense. Residents said that a camp for displaced persons, many homes, and the town’s market were all destroyed by fire. There have been reports of several civilian casualties.

The governor of Darfur, Mini Arko Minawi, said on Twitter on Sunday that Kutum inhabitants had been subjected to “terrible violations” including murder and pillage. As part of a 2020 peace agreement, rebel commander Minawi was appointed governor of the western sector and dubbed Darfur a “disaster area.” He pleaded with the world community to deliver aid “by any means necessary to save people in the affected region.”

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