Ceasefire in Sudan after US mediation | Abroad

LOOK. First Belgians evacuated from Sudan

In a statement, the RSF confirms its agreement to a ceasefire to, among other things, “open humanitarian corridors” and allow civilians to go to hospital. The paramilitary group says it is willing to allow foreigners to leave the country safely. The Sudanese army has not yet responded to the ceasefire.

Foreign media such as CNN and the BBC write that the truce offers the US and other countries hope that the evacuation of people from Sudan can go more smoothly in the coming days. Last week that was difficult because of fierce fighting near the airport of the capital Khartoum.

The US government has urged the two parties to fully respect the agreement, Blinken said. The Americans also want to set up a committee together with regional and international partners to supervise negotiations on a permanent ceasefire.

The army and the paramilitary RSF had already announced a three-day ceasefire on Friday around the Eid, the festival on which Muslims celebrate the end of the month of fasting. Earlier files between the two had come to nothing.

Earlier in the day, United Nations chief António Guterres had warned that the violence in Sudan threatens to spark “a catastrophic conflagration” in the country. According to him, this can spread to the entire region and beyond. The Secretary-General called on the members of the UN Security Council to prevent this. “We must all do everything in our power to pull Sudan away from the brink of collapse,” Guterres told the council. He stressed that the UN is not leaving Sudan, despite a large-scale evacuation of foreign employees who are temporarily going to work elsewhere.

The United Nations announced on Monday that its envoy to the country, German Volker Perthes, will remain in the country. More than 420 people have been killed in the African country after nine days of fighting between the government army and the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces.

UN chief Antonio Guterres fears that the violence could spread to “the whole region and beyond”. He therefore calls for a ceasefire to keep Sudan “off the cliff”. He therefore called on all members of the Security Council to “use all their influence with the parties involved to end the violence, restore order and re-establish the path to democratic transition”.

However, hundreds of other non-Sudanese UN employees and their families have been removed from the country. This was done by transferring them to the port city of Port Sudan, and from there transferring them to other countries in the region. It concerns about 700 people, including UN personnel, but also employees of other international organizations, embassy personnel and their family members.

At the same time, the country organization emphasizes that it will continue to work for Sudan, including through envoy Volker Perthes. “We are determined to stay in Sudan and support the Sudanese people in every way we can,” it said. “We will do everything we can to save lives while protecting the safety of our staff.”

The evacuation of foreigners started last weekend. Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said Monday morning that eight Belgians and their dependents have been evacuated from Sudan. About thirty compatriots are now on site, but a large number of them have not indicated that they want to leave.

LOOK. You should know this about the conflict in Sudan