The head of the Sudanese paramilitary force has called for a “temporary ceasefire” amid growing international pressure as the death toll in the four-day conflict tops 180.
Fighting has raged since Saturday between the Sudanese armed forces backed by the president and rapid support paramilitary forces loyal to the country’s powerful vice president, raising fears of a wider civil conflict.
General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalothe military vice president better known as Hemeti who commands the RSF, said on Tuesday he had agreed to a one-day armistice after speaking by telephone with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, but that the other party had not complied with it.
“The RSF reaffirm their endorsement of a 24-hour armistice to ensure the safe passage of civilians and the evacuation of the wounded,” he said. “Unfortunately, the Sudanese Armed Forces have not honored this ceasefire, shelling densely populated areas and endangering civilian lives.”
At least 180 people were killed and more than 1,800 injured since the fighting which is concentrated in the capital Khartoum has begun, according to the UN.
Blinken told reporters in Japan, where he was attending a meeting of G7 foreign ministers, that “too many civilian lives have already been lost”, adding that a US diplomatic convoy came under fire on Monday. No US personnel were injured in the incident, which appears to be associated with the RSF, according to Blinken.
“This action was reckless, irresponsible and of course dangerous – a diplomatic convoy, with diplomatic plates, an American flag, shot at,” he said. Blinken also said he had spoken with the de facto military president of Sudan, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
“We are of course deeply concerned about the overall security environment,” Blinken said. “This only underscores the imperative to secure a ceasefire and put Sudan back on the path it was on, that is, talks and negotiations towards the restoration of a civilian-led government.”
Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said his ambassador in Sudan had been “attacked in his own residence” while a non-governmental committee of Sudanese doctors declared that “hospitals in Sudan are under bombardment”.
Volker Perthes, the UN envoy to Sudan who provided the number of dead and injured, told reporters: “Under the current circumstances, under the current conditions, basically no aid delivery can take place. .
As fighting spreads to other parts of the country, including the western region of Darfur, international and regional pressure to agree a ceasefire has intensified.
The Intergovernmental Regional Authority for Development, made up of eight countries in the Eastern Horn of Africa, called for “an immediate cessation of hostilities”. However, the closure of many Sudanese airports and fighting in the capital have hampered in-person mediation efforts by the leaders of South Sudan, Kenya and Djibouti.
“Current circumstances do not allow their presence,” Burhan told Sky News. “There are still clashes between factions and the airport is under threat. It’s not a good climate for them to come.
He added that if he was open to negotiations, his troops would “definitely” defeat Hemeti’s paramilitaries. “Even if there is surrender, there is always negotiation,” he said.
Perthes of the UN said: “The fighting is between two organized military forces. The two sides fighting do not give the impression that they want to mediate for a peace between them right away. »
Mehari Taddele Maru, a Horn of Africa analyst, said the fighting in Sudan had “turned from just a struggle for power to a fight for survival” for the RSF. He added that challenges to the “preeminence of the armed forces in the Sudanese government and establishment are likely to persist in the future”.