Fighting Resumes in Sudan as 24-Hour Ceasefire Ends

Fighting in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, resumed on Sunday after the end of a 24-hour ceasefire. Deadly clashes began in mid-April between Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the army commander, and his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who leads the paramilitary group known as the 'Rapid Support Forces.' In the latest ceasefire agreement between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, civilians trapped in Khartoum were given the opportunity to leave their homes to procure food and other necessities. Witnesses told AFP that just ten minutes after the ceasefire ended at 6 a.m. local time on Sunday, the capital of Sudan was once again the scene of fighting between them. Nasir al-Din Ahmed, a resident of southern Khartoum who woke up to the sound of artillery fire, said that the one-day calm was 'like a dream.' Another resident of the outskirts of Khartoum described the resumption of fighting as a return of terror and horror. According to reports, thick smoke was seen for the fifth consecutive day from the Al-Shajara oil and gas facilities near the Yarmouk military plant in Khartoum. Since the outbreak of the war, several ceasefire agreements have been broken, including one that was agreed upon after U.S. sanctions were imposed on both rival generals following a previous failed attempt at the end of May. Both Burhan and Dagalo amassed significant wealth during the rule of Omar al-Bashir, Sudan's long-time dictator, who faced several decades of international sanctions before his ousting in 2019. The 24-hour ceasefire that ended on Sunday was announced with the mediation of the United States and Saudi Arabia. The two countries warned that they might halt mediation efforts if it failed. The Saudi Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday that the warring parties 'agreed on allowing movement and the delivery of humanitarian aid without hindrance across the country.' The statement added, 'If the parties do not adhere to the 24-hour ceasefire, the mediators will be forced to reconsider the suspension of negotiations in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which have been on hold since late last month.' The statement also noted that the mediators 'share in the despair of the Sudanese people over the unequal implementation of previous ceasefires.' Reports indicate that over 1,800 people have been killed in the armed clashes. The United Nations states that nearly two million people have been displaced, including nearly 500,000 who have fled to neighboring countries. More than 200,000 of them have primarily entered Egypt by land. However, Cairo announced on Saturday that it would impose stricter conditions on those Sudanese who were previously exempt from visas - women of any age, children under 16, and individuals over 50. Egypt stated that the new regulations were not announced to 'prevent or limit' the entry of Sudanese people but to prevent 'illegal activities by individuals and groups at the Sudanese border who forge entry visas for profit.'