Volatile ceasefire extended in Sudan

The Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Monday agreed to a five-day extension of a cease-fire agreement they signed on May 20, as relevant parties, including the African Union (AU), are hammering out a road map to ending the protracted conflict.

While the two hostile sides affirmed commitment to allowing the safe passage of civilians from conflict areas and protecting civilian supplies, the truce has been constantly breached during the cease-fire period, impeding humanitarian access and restoration of genuine stability.

Negotiations

The Agreement on a Short-Term Cease-fire and Humanitarian Arrangements was reached through negotiations that started on May 6 in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah under a Saudi-US initiative with the aim of ending the conflict in Sudan and facilitating access of humanitarian aid to civilians.

The seven-day truce, which entered into force on May 22, was scheduled to expire at 9:45 p.m. local time on Monday. Not long after the agreement took effect, sporadic clashes were reported between the army and the RSF. In a statement last week, Saudi Arabia and the United States, two brokers of the agreement, said that the cease-fire monitoring mechanism detected serious breaches of the agreement. As relevant parties were working on the extension on Monday, violent clashes broke out in Sudan’s capital Khartoum.

Launched airstrikes

According to eyewitnesses, the clashes took place in Omdurman and Bahri (Khartoum North) cities, where the Sudanese Army launched airstrikes on RSF sites in the two cities, while the RSF responded with anti-aircraft missiles.

Saudi Arabia and the United States said in a statement after the extension was agreed upon that even though the ceasefire was “imperfectly observed,” an extension still can provide time for further humanitarian assistance, restoration of essential services, and discussion of a potential longer-term extension.

To help restore peace in the country, the AU adopted the Roadmap for the Resolution of the Conflict in Sudan.

 The roadmap was adopted during the AU Peace and Security Council meeting that was held at the heads of state and government level on Saturday, focusing on the situation in Sudan, the AU said in a communique issued on Sunday.

The roadmap outlined six elements that include the establishment of a coordination mechanism to ensure all efforts by the regional and global actors are harmonized and impactful; an immediate, permanent, inclusive and comprehensive cessation of hostilities; and an effective humanitarian response. 

The high-level meeting underscored the overriding importance of a single, inclusive and consolidated peace process for Sudan, coordinated under the joint auspices of the AU, the IGADD and the League of Arab States and the United Nations, along with like-minded partners.