Asmaa Al-Husseini (Khartoum)
The battles continued between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces despite the declared humanitarian truce for a period of 24 hours, and this came as regional and international efforts are accelerating to defuse the crisis amid calls to stop the fighting and allow the provision of humanitarian aid to those affected, and this comes while 13 prominent civil leaders and leaders of armed movements called The leadership of the army and the “rapid support” to arbitrate the voice of reason, give priority to wisdom, stop the war, and resort to resolving issues through dialogue.
Local sources reported that military aircraft flew over Khartoum, and gunfire was heard, despite the truce that took effect at 6:00 pm local time.
The Rapid Support Forces said in a statement: “In the first hours of the announced truce, we detected separate attacks on our forces in some areas of Khartoum, in the General Command and East Nile regions.”
And she continued, “We in the Rapid Support Forces have expressed our full commitment to the American mediation, the international community, and the mediators to what we pledged to do for the passage of humanitarian and medical aid and the arrival of the sick and wounded to hospitals.”
For its part, the Sudanese army confirmed that warplanes will decisively confront the RSF’s attempt to enter Khartoum.
“We have not received any indications of a halt to the fighting in Sudan,” the UN spokesman said, “despite the entry into force of the humanitarian truce.”
Earlier yesterday, the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese army announced, in two separate statements, their approval of a 24-hour ceasefire to open safe paths for civilians to cross and evacuate the wounded as a result of the clashes that erupted between the two sides 4 days ago.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken discussed, with the head of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, Army Commander Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, “Hamidti,” the urgent need for a ceasefire in Sudan.
This came in a statement published by the US State Department at dawn yesterday, following two separate phone calls that Blinken made with Al-Burhan and Hamidti.
The statement indicated that Blinken stressed in the two calls the urgent need to reach a cease-fire to allow the provision of humanitarian aid to those affected by the fighting, to reunite Sudanese families, and to ensure the safety of the international community in Khartoum.
Blinken expressed his deep concern about the killing and injury of many Sudanese civilians as a result of the continuous and indiscriminate fighting, according to the statement.
The US Secretary of State stressed the responsibility of “Al-Burhan and Hamidti” in ensuring the safety of civilians, diplomatic personnel and humanitarian workers.
For his part, Hamidti confirmed, in a post posted on his official Facebook page yesterday, that he had a telephone conversation with Blinken, in which they discussed pressing Sudan issues.
“I reaffirmed our firm commitment to protecting innocent civilians in our areas of control, which reflects our respect for human dignity and the sanctity of life,” Hamidti said in the post.
And he added, “We realize the challenges ahead of us and we stand firmly against extremism that undermines our progress towards a just and democratic society. Despite the reluctant participation in this war, it is necessary to protect our people and defend our values.”
Informed Sudanese sources told Al-Ittihad that Blinken’s contact with the two parties carried strict warnings to the two parties about their responsibility for the safety of civilians, diplomatic missions and humanitarian workers.
On the other hand, 13 prominent civil leaders and leaders of armed movements met yesterday, under the auspices of the “tripartite committee”, and called on the leadership of the Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to arbitrate the voice of reason, prevail over wisdom, stop the war immediately, and resort to resolving issues through dialogue, not through the barrels of guns.
Dr. Mariam Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi, Sudan’s former foreign minister and deputy head of the Umma Party, said in a statement to Al-Ittihad that the meeting was attended by leaders of the Forces for Freedom and Change, the Central Council and the Democratic Bloc, including Fadlallah Barmah Nasser, head of the Umma Party, and Omar Al-Daqir, head of the Umma Party. The Sudanese Congress, the governor of the Darfur region, Minni Arko Minawi, the Minister of Finance, Dr. Jibril Ibrahim, and members of the Sovereignty Council, Malik Aqar, Al-Hadi Idris, and Al-Taher Hajar, and she added that everyone feels the seriousness of the situation and fears that Sudan will slide into unimaginable consequences.
The Sudanese leaders welcomed the initiatives presented by the “tripartite mechanism” and the United States to reach a temporary truce, and the response of the two parties to it to meet humanitarian needs. Sudanese to reject all discourses that fuel war or stir up racist and regional strife, to distance themselves from hate speech, and to work jointly to stop the war immediately and to give priority to dialogue mechanisms in solving Sudan’s complex problems, and they also appealed to the regional and international community to support the efforts of the Sudanese components to stop the war and not to engage in any actions Internationalizing, fueling or exacerbating the conflict.
In the context, the Group of Seven industrialized countries called, yesterday, for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Sudan without preconditions.
“We strongly condemn the fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, which threatens the security and safety of Sudanese civilians and undermines efforts to restore democratic transition in Sudan,” said a joint statement published after the conclusion of the G7 foreign ministers’ meetings in Karuizawa, central Japan.
The G7 urged the two parties to immediately cease hostilities without preconditions, according to the statement.
It called on all parties to renounce violence, return to negotiations, and take effective steps to reduce tensions and ensure the safety of all civilians, including diplomatic personnel and humanitarian workers.
Evacuating a number of detainees from the University of Khartoum
A number of students and workers are still stranded inside the campus of the University of Khartoum, for the third day in a row, as a result of the fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces.
The Syndicate of University of Khartoum professors appealed to all humanitarian institutions and organizations to evacuate those stranded inside the university campus, while local media said that 66 detainees had already been evacuated, as they arrived in the “Al-Mazad” neighborhood in the capital, while there are still 22 others on the university campus, as The total number of detainees is 88, including 20 workers and 5 female students. The university is located in a location close to the Ministry of Defense, the headquarters of the Armed Forces General Command, and the Republican Palace, and it is an area that witnesses fierce fighting with heavy weapons, as well as air strikes from time to time, which makes the exit of those stranded there extremely difficult unless a real truce takes place and safe passages are opened for them. One of the detained students died and another was seriously injured, as a result of the continuous exchange of fire in the area surrounding the university.
Germany withdraws its nationals
The German army is preparing to support the German Foreign Ministry in the event of a military evacuation of German nationals, and a spokesman for the Operations Command in Berlin said, “The German army has specialized forces that are constantly preparing for the scenario of the evacuation process, and they are in a permanent state of readiness.”
As part of the national crisis preparedness, the Bundeswehr has evacuation capabilities for Germans and also provides soldiers for crisis support teams that advise German embassies in crisis situations. According to a spokeswoman for the German Foreign Ministry yesterday, the list of the so-called crisis preparedness of the ministry includes a low number in the category of hundreds of German nationals in Sudan, and a spokesman for the German Military Operations Command said that “support is being prepared for the possibility of returning Germans and other protected persons to the country.” Explaining that for reasons of operational security, no details will be given about the size, personnel and materials of the potential evacuation forces of the German army, and added, “Procedures and routes for evacuation operations are practiced regularly and are developed in the army.”
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