Sudan’s warring parties have begun a cease-fire on Sunday, announced earlier by mediators Saudi Arabia and the United States in a joint statement, as two months of fighting pushed the African nation into further chaos.
Residents in the capital, Khartoum, and its neighboring city of Omdurman reported “relative calm” in the first hours of the cease-fire Sunday morning, after fierce clashes were reported the previous day.
The three-day truce came ahead of a pledging conference the UN and other nations will organize Monday to raise funds to cover Sudan’s humanitarian needs.
The UN says it received less than 16% of the $2.57 billion required to help those in need in Sudan in 2023. Another $470 million more are needed to support refugees in the Horn of Africa region, it said.
The United States and Saudi Arabia, announced the cease-fire agreement Saturday. Both led concerted international diplomatic efforts to stop the war over the past two months.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and United States of America announce the agreement of representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on a cease-fire throughout Sudan for a period of 72 hours,” the Saudi foreign ministry statement said late Saturday.
Source : Arab News
