The
ceasefire will start at 6.00 p.m. (1600 GMT) and will not extend
beyond the agreed 24 hours, Army General Shams El Din Kabbashi,
a member of Sudan's ruling military council, said on Al Arabiya
TV.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held separate calls with
the army chief and the head of the paramilitary Rapid Support
Forces (RSF), whose power struggle has killed at least 185
people across the country and derailed an internationally-backed
plan to shift to civilian rule after decades of autocracy and
military control.
RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti,
whose whereabouts have not been disclosed since fighting began,
said the RSF approved the 24-hour ceasefire to ensure the safe
passage of civilians and the evacuation of the wounded.
In a post on Twitter, Hemedti said he had "discussed pressing
issues" with Blinken during their call and more talks were
planned. The RSF also issued a statement saying it was waging a
continuing battle to restore "the rights of our people" in what
it called a new revolution.
Blinken said initial reports suggested the attack on the U.S.
envoy was undertaken by forces associated with the RSF, calling
the action "reckless". He said all U.S. personnel were safe
after the incident, calling threats to U.S. diplomats "totally
unacceptable."
Underscoring the risk a prolonged conflict presents to regional
stability, Kabbashi said two neighbouring countries were
attempting to provide aid to the RSF. He did not identify the
countries.
Early on Tuesday, gunfire echoed across Sudan's capital
accompanied by the sound of warplanes and explosions, a Reuters
reporter said. Residents in Khartoum's neighbouring cities of
Omdurman and Bahri also reported air strikes that shook
buildings and anti-aircraft fire.
The fighting has raged in several regions of the country since
Saturday. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies said it was nearly impossible to provide
humanitarian services around the capital. It warned the
country's health system was at risk of collapse.
(Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz in Khartoum, Nafisa Eltahir and
Hatem Maher in Cairo, Humeyra Pamuk in Tokyo and Claudia Tanos
in Dubai; Writing by Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Christina
Fincher)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
![](../../22/NEWS/column_spacer.png)
|
|