US-Saudi facilitators urge Sudan warring parties to extend current truce

The joint facilitators of the Jeddah Agreement, the USA and Saudi Arabia, published a statement yesterday calling for the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to extend the seven-day ceasefire that is set to expire tomorrow.

In a statement on Saturday tweeted by the US Embassy in Khartoum, the US-Saudi mediators jointly call on the warring factions “to continue discussions to reach agreement on extending the ceasefire that is set to expire at 9:45 pm Khartoum time May 29.

“While imperfect, an extension nonetheless will facilitate the delivery of urgently needed humanitarian assistance to the Sudanese people,” the facilitators stated.

Khartoum witnessed fierce fighting between the SAF and the RSF on Wednesday, culminating in the two parties exchanging accusations of violating the truce, signed in Jeddah on May 20.

On Thursday, intense fighting broke out in El Fasher, capital of North Darfur that continued the next day, and resulted in the displacement of many people,” journalist Gouja Ahmed tweeted on Friday.

The spokesperson for the RSF stated yesterday that the “SAF and its allies from the former regime of Omar Al Bashir have again broken their pledge to uphold the ceasefire, launching air raids on strategic infrastructure”.

“The RSF is the sole defender of the ceasefire agreement and is urging the international community to denounce these unlawful actions by the SAF,” the spokesperson said.

The Sudanese Ministry of Defence announced the mobilisation of reservists on Friday.

Saudi Arabia and the USA that day urged the warring parties to uphold their commitments under the May 11 Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan and the ceasefire agreed on in Jeddah on April 20.