Sudan army suspends ceasefire talks with paramilitary RSF

The Sudanese army says it has suspended its participation in US- and Saudi-brokered ceasefire talks with its paramilitary foes.

According to a Sudanese official who spoke on condition of anonymity, the army made the decision because the rebels have repeatedly violated the truce and have never implemented a single provision of a short-term ceasefire that required their withdrawal from hospitals and residential buildings.

The negotiations with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which began in early May, had produced a declaration of commitments to protect civilians and two short-term ceasefire deals, although those deals were repeatedly violated.

Residents reported heavy clashes in southern Khartoum and in Omdurman across the River Nile until late on Tuesday.

The army, which depends on airpower and artillery, and the RSF, a less heavily equipped but strong enemy in Khartoum street fighting, agreed to prolong a week-long truce agreement by five days just before it expired on Monday.

Since April 15, Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, a career military officer, and RSF General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, a former militia commander known as Hemedti, have been at odds for power. Neither side appears to have an advantage.

The RSF said in a statement late on Tuesday it was committed to the ceasefire “despite repeated violations” by the army.

Before the ceasefire deal was renewed, an army source said the army had demanded the RSF withdraw from civilian homes and hospitals as a condition for an extension. After the five-day extension was agreed, talks continued on the terms of the truce.

The truce was brokered and is being remotely monitored by Saudi Arabia and the United States. They say it has been violated by both sides but has nonetheless allowed the delivery of aid to an estimated 2 million people.

The war has killed hundreds of people and forced nearly 1.4 million people to flee their homes, with more than 350,000 of those heading to neighbouring countries.

Khartoum and the capital area have been the site of the heaviest fighting, although clashes have erupted in other regions, including Darfur, a region in Sudan’s far west.

The capital has seen widespread looting and frequent power and water supply cuts. Most hospitals have stopped functioning.