Sudan’s army accuses paramilitary RSF of violating cease-fire

KHARTOUM, Sudan

The Sudanese army has accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group of violating a 72-hour cease-fire agreement.

A 72-hour cease-fire brokered by Saudi and US mediators came into effect between the two military rivals on Sunday.

In a statement, the army accused the RSF of attacking the Tawila locality in North Darfur for two consecutive days.

“The rebels carried out violations on the residents of the locality during the two days, leading to 15 deaths and the injury of dozens of unarmed civilians,” it added.

The army also blamed the RSF for “displacing hundreds of people from the locality besides the numerous horrors which the militia have not stopped carrying out since its doomed rebellion.”

Meanwhile, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry accused the paramilitary group of storming the Zimbabwean Embassy and the ambassador’s residence in Khartoum.

In a statement, the ministry called on the international community “to condemn the terrorist and criminal behavior of the militia.”

There was no comment from the paramilitary group on the accusations.

Sudan has been ravaged by fighting between the army and the RSF since April, in a conflict that killed nearly 1,000 civilians and injured 5,000 others, according to local medics.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that more than 2.2 million people have been displaced by the current conflict in Sudan.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara