Fierce fighting rages on in Sudanese capital as ceasefire again fails to hold

The warring groups in Sudan continued to engage in fierce clashes on Friday with heavy gunfire and explosions heard in the capital Khartoum and other cities despite the proclamation of a 72-hour ceasefire.

The Northeast African country's paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) early on Friday announced a truce after six days of intense fighting to mark the start of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

The group said it would observe a 72-hour ceasefire, which would come into effect at 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) on Friday, but Sudan's armed forces (SAF) didn't confirm it.

“The armistice coincides with the blessed Eid al-Fitr, and open humanitarian corridors to evacuate citizens and give them the opportunity to greet their families,” read the RSF statement.

Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands wounded since the deadly clashes broke out last week between forces loyal to Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, the RSF commander commonly known as Hemeti.

"Four hundred and thirteen people have died and 3,551 people have been injured," World Health Organization spokeswoman Margaret Harris told reporters in Geneva Friday. The UN children's agency UNICEF said at least nine children were among the dead and more than 50 had been wounded.

The Central Committee of Sudan Doctors said that overnight, as the Eid al-Fitr celebrations marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan began, "several areas of Khartoum were bombed" and reported "shelling and clashes" for the sixth straight night.

"We call on all citizens to exercise caution, stay home, close doors and windows and lie down. We also call on these forces to be responsible and immediately stop fighting to protect innocent lives," the committee said in a statement.

The capital Khartoum has seen the worst fighting with air strikes and tank fire in densely populated areas, with most of its five million people locked up in homes without electricity, food or water.  

The SAF leader appeared on television Friday morning and expressed sadness for the victims of the fighting, praying for a peaceful Eid, but did not mention anything about the RST-proposed ceasefire.

Deaths top 300 as intense fighting enters sixth day in Sudan

The conflict has dashed hopes for progress toward democracy in Sudan, risks drawing in its neighbors.

“For Eid this year, our country is bleeding: destruction, desolation and the sound of bullets have taken precedence over joy,” Burhan said in a pre-recorded video.

“We hope that we will come out of this ordeal more united… a single army, a single people… towards a civilian power.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the African Union had on Thursday called for a ceasefire of "at least" three days to mark the festival of Eid al-Fitr.

Guterres, speaking to reporters after convening a virtual meeting with the heads of the African Union, the Arab League and other organizations on Thursday, said there was a "strong consensus on condemning ongoing fighting in Sudan and calling for the cessation of hostilities as an immediate priority".

The RSF said they would commit to a 72-hour ceasefire but like two previously declared 24-hour ceasefires, it failed to sustain amid the crackle of fresh gunfire across the capital Khartoum.

In a statement, the group reported "the bombings of aircraft and heavy artillery in a sweeping attack" that it said targeted "residential neighborhoods" on Friday.

Burhan was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera that he would support a truce if it allows citizens to move freely, adding that he saw no partner for negotiations, and "no other option but the military solution".

The World Food Program (WFP) on Thursday warned that the fighting could plunge millions more into hunger in a country where one-third of the population is in need of aid.

"Record numbers of people were already facing hunger in Sudan before the conflict erupted on April 15. In 2023, WFP planned to support more than 7.6 million people," it said in a statement.

"The ongoing fighting is preventing WFP from delivering critical emergency food, providing school meals for children, or preventing and treating malnutrition."

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that almost 330 people were killed and 3,200 others wounded across the country, but medics fear the death toll is likely to be higher.

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