Sudan’s army chief has reportedly approved a 72-hour extension to the ceasefire that is due to expire on Friday. The current ceasefire began at midnight local time (22:00 GMT) on Monday, bringing a pause to the ongoing conflict that erupted in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere in the country on April 15th.
The conflict stems from a power struggle between the regular army and a powerful paramilitary force called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has led to violence across Sudan for over a week. The struggle has dealt a harsh blow to Sudan’s hopes for a democratic transition, with the Sudanese military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the RSF, led by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, both vying for control. It is disputed who fired the first shot, but the fighting quickly escalated in different parts of the country, resulting in at least 459 deaths, although the actual number is thought to be much higher.
Earlier, the World Health Organization said it expected “many more” deaths due to disease, a lack of access to food and water, and disruption to health facilities. People in Khartoum and Omdurman are finding it difficult to find clean water, food, and access to cash, according to the BBC’s correspondent.
Several countries have evacuated their nationals since the ceasefire took hold. A boat evacuating more than 1,600 people from dozens of countries arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, and both Germany and France say all their citizens have now left the country. France, Germany, Italy, and Spain have also been evacuating diplomats and other nationals. More than 150 people, mostly citizens of Gulf countries, as well as Egypt, Pakistan, and Canada, were evacuated by sea to the Saudi Arabian port of Jeddah. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said 536 British nationals have been evacuated from Sudan on six flights, while the US and UK announced on Sunday they had flown diplomats out of the country.
There have been desperate calls for help from many foreign students from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East who are also stuck in Khartoum, a city of some six million people. The chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission confirmed to the BBC that evacuations of stranded Nigerian students in Sudan had started. It is thought there could be up to 5,000 Nigerians living in Sudan, with 3,500 of them being students.
Thousands of Sudanese have fled fighting in Khartoum and elsewhere, according to UN agencies, but millions are still sheltering in their homes amid explosions, gunfire, and looting without adequate access to electricity, food, or water. The UN has warned that up to 20,000 people, mostly women and children, have fled Sudan to seek safety in Chad, across the border from Darfur.
Explosions and gunfire could still be heard on Wednesday, with warplanes in the air, although the situation was quieter than before the ceasefire, and the situation was good enough for evacuations to continue.
