A short-term ceasefire between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has gone into effect Monday at 09:45 p.m. local time (19:45 GMT). The agreement on the seven-day ceasefire aimed at facilitating the delivery of emergency humanitarian assistance and restoration of essential services in Sudan was signed on Saturday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia by representatives of the SAF and the RSF.
Saudi Arabia and the United States, which facilitated the talks, announced the breakthrough on Saturday. The agreement, which entered into force 48 hours after signing, shall remain in effect for seven days and may be extended with the agreement of both parties.
Under the agreement, the parties to the conflict agreed to facilitate the delivery and distribution of humanitarian assistance, restore essential services, and withdraw forces from hospitals and essential public facilities. The parties also agreed to facilitate the safe passage of humanitarian actors and commodities, allowing goods to flow unimpeded from ports of entry to populations in need.
According to a joined statement by the Government of Saudi Arabia and the US State Department, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces had conveyed to the Saudi and US facilitators their commitment not to seek military advantage during the 48-hour notification period after signing the agreement and prior to the start of the ceasefire.
The statement noted that the parties have previously announced ceasefires that have not been observed. Unlike previous ceasefires, the Agreement reached in Jeddah was signed by the parties and will be supported by a U.S.-Saudi and international-supported ceasefire monitoring mechanism.
“The Sudanese people have now suffered for five terrible weeks as a result of this devastating conflict. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States stand by them and we demand the parties fully abide by their commitments under this Agreement for a short-term humanitarian ceasefire to provide them with urgently needed relief,” the statement said.
On Sunday, the Trilateral Mechanism, consisting of the United Nations, the African Union, and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), welcomed the signing of the agreement.
The international organizations said, “the respect of the ceasefire is crucial for facilitating the delivery of aid to over 25 million Sudanese people who are in dire need, accounting for more than half of the country's population.”
The Trilateral Mechanism urged both parties to uphold the ceasefire, and stressed it stands ready to support the effective implementation of the seven-day ceasefire, as well as regional and international efforts aimed at swiftly ending the fighting in Sudan.
The international organizations called on the whole international community and humanitarian actors “to urgently unify their efforts to support the Sudanese people during these critical times.”
At least 705 people have been killed and 5,287 injured since the fighting erupted more than a month ago, with the true toll likely much higher. The conflict between Sudan’s military headed up by General Abdel Fattah Burhan and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces led by General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo broke out on April 15 after months of rising tensions over the country's political future and the RSF's planned integration into the national army.
Sudan's warring parties signed a commitment on May 11, establishing guidelines for allowing humanitarian assistance into the country. However, the “Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan” did not include a cease-fire.
The most recent fighting has already displaced more than 1 million people. While at least 846,000 people are displaced inside Sudan, over 250,000 refugees and refugee returnees have fled the country, with many Sudanese escaping to Chad, the Central African Republic, Egypt, and South Sudan.
Humanitarian needs in Sudan were already at record levels before the situation deteriorated, with some 15.8 million people requiring humanitarian assistance. The number of people in need of humanitarian aid stands now at 24.7 million people – more than half of Sudan’s population.
Before the fighting started, Sudan hosted about 1.2 million refugees, one of the largest refugee populations in Africa, some 3.7 million Sudanese were internally displaced, mostly in the Darfur region that has experienced a volatile security situation since 2003. As of May 2023, there are some 4.5 million women, men, and children internally displaced.
More than 800,000 Sudanese had fled to neighboring countries before the clashes escalated. The number of Sudanese refugees is now estimated at more than 1 million people.
Further information
Full text: Agreement on a Short-Term Ceasefire and Humanitarian Arrangements, Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), signed on May 20, 2023
https://www.state.gov/agreement-on-a-short-term-ceasefire-and-humanitarian-arrangements/
Full text: Statement by the Trilateral Mechanism on the signing of an agreement on a short-term ceasefire and humanitarian arrangements, UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), released May 21, 2023
https://unitams.unmissions.org/en/statement-trilateral-mechanism-signing-agreement-short-term-ceasefire-and-humanitarian-arrangements