US brokers ceasefire in Sudan

Warring factions in Sudan signed a new ceasefire which came into effect at midnight. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was the first to announce on Monday the 72-hour ceasefire between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). He said it was the result of days of intense negotiations.

Shortly after Blinken announced the ceasefire, the RSF and the Sudanese army agreed. The RSF said they would agree to “open humanitarian corridors” and allow citizens to go to the hospital, among other things. The two sides had already announced a three-day ceasefire on Friday around Eid, the holiday when Muslims mark the end of the month of fasting. However, eyewitnesses reported last weekend that there was still fighting. Earlier cases between the two had come to nothing.

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Foreign media such as CNN and the BBC write that the truce offers the United States and other countries hope that the evacuation of people from Sudan can go more smoothly in the coming days. Last week it was difficult due to heavy fighting near the airport in the capital Khartoum.

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The army and the RSF have been engaged in a bloody power struggle for nearly two weeks. At least 400 people have died, according to the United Nations (UN).