Sudan sides agree 24-hour ceasefire from Saturday, Saudi Arabia and U.S. say

[June 09, 2023]  DUBAI (Reuters) - Sudan's warring sides have agreed on a nationwide ceasefire for 24 hours from 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) on Saturday, Saudi Arabia and the U.S. who have been brokering talks said in a joint statement.

Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support forces (RSF) agreed "they will refrain from prohibited movements, attacks, use of aircraft or drones, aerial bombardment, artillery strikes, reinforcement of positions and resupply of forces, and will refrain from seeking military advantage during the ceasefire," the statement read.

A man walks while smoke rises above buildings after aerial bombardment, during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan, May 1, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/File Photo

If the parties fail to observe the ceasefire, "facilitators will be compelled to consider adjourning the Jeddah talks", the U.S and Saudi joint statement added, referring to negotiations to try to end almost two months of clashes in Sudan.

"We have provided both parties numerous opportunities to end this senseless war," the U.S. State Department's Bureau of African Affairs said on Twitter.

"We call on both sides to adhere to the commitment made today for a 24-hour ceasefire, which would allow Sudanese people to receive critical humanitarian assistance."

Both sides have broken a string of ceasefire agreements, though a recent truce deal did let in limited amounts of humanitarian aid, humanitarian agencies said.

The conflict in Sudan derailed the launch of a transition towards civilian rule four years after a popular uprising ousted strongman President Omar al-Bashir.

Sudan's army and the RSF fell out over the chain of command and military restructuring plans under the transition.

(Reporting by Ahmed Elimam and Jana Choukeir; Editing by Jon Boyle and Andrew Heavens)

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