Arab League (AL) Secretary-General, in a “purely humanitarian call”, urged warring sides in Sudan to bring a ceasefire during Eid days….reports Asian Lite News
Arab League (AL) Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit called on conflicting Sudanese parties to cease fire during the upcoming Eid al-Fitr holiday that follows the holy month of Ramadan.
“I call on the brothers in Sudan from the Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) … to announce a ceasefire during the Eid days,” the chief of the pan-Arab organisation said in a video statement, Xinhua news agency reported.
Sudan has been witnessing armed clashes between the Sudanese army and the RSF in Khartoum and other areas since April 15, with the two sides accusing each other of initiating the conflict.
“Let the Eid days be a truce in which fire ceases on both sides in a comprehensive and complete way,” Aboul-Gheit said.
“This is a message of a purely humanitarian call, which has nothing to do with the political position on the crisis,” the AL chief added.
Muslims worldwide celebrate Eid al-Fitr for three days to mark the completion of the holy month of Ramadan. Whether the Eid al-Fitr will fall on Friday or Saturday is decided by the sighting of the crescent moon on Thursday by Muslim scholars.
Sudan army’s Khartoum HQ hit
Paramilitary troops from the Rapid Support Forces launched waves of attacks on Wednesday targeting the main Sudanese army HQ in Khartoum as the death toll from five days of fighting headed for 300, Arab News reported.
There were continuous bombardments and loud explosions around the army compound in the center of the capital, and also at the main airport, which has been fiercely contested and out of action since violence erupted at the weekend.
Thousands flee home
As fighting between the army and paramilitaries raged for a fifth day after a 24-hour truce collapsed, thousands of residents have fled their homes in Sudan’s capital Khartoum.
When the planned ceasefire, set to begin at 1600 GMT on Tuesday, was broken up within minutes, the hopes of residents in Sudan being evacuated were crushed. The rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the regular army both released statements accusing the other of breaking the ceasefire. According to the army’s top leadership, actions to secure the capital and other areas will continue, reported Al Jazeera.
According to Al Jazeera, the witnesses claim that thousands of people in Khartoum took matters into their own hands and started to leave their homes, some in cars and some on foot, including women and children.
With food supplies running low, power shortages, and a lack of running water, the civilians holed up in their homes as they grew more desperate to be evacuated from the violence-hit region.
As many as 270 people have been killed and more than 2,600 have been injured in the unrest in Sudan, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) officials citing Sudan’s Ministry of Health Emergency Operations Center, reported CNN.
A humanitarian crisis, as stated by the UN, has been brought on by the conflict, including the almost complete collapse of the health system. The Global Food Programme of the organisation halted operations when three of its staffers were killed.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it was nearly impossible to provide humanitarian services around the capital. It warned that Sudan’s health system was at risk of breakdown, reported Al Jazeera.
Turkey holding talks
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that negotiations are on with the two warring parties in a bid to reach an ultimate ceasefire.
Addressing reporters on Wednesday, the Minister said: “We are negotiating with both parties. We are negotiating to stop the conflict. We are on the field with our friends.
“We are currently meeting with the Vice President. We’re also meeting with the commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to stop the war.”
Cavusoglu further said they expected a ceasefire to be reached on Thursday ahead of Eid al-Fitr on Friday.
He also noted that Turkey will evacuate its citizens from Sudan after its airspace opens on Thursday.
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