Clashes renew in Sudan despite cease-fire deal

KHARTOUM, Sudan

Armed clashes renewed between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group in the capital Khartoum on Wednesday despite a cease-fire agreement, according to witnesses.

A 7-day cease-fire came into force between the army and the RSF on Monday following talks between the two conflicting parties in Saudi Arabia.

However, fierce fighting was reported on Wednesday in central Khartoum and the cities of Bahri and Omdurman.

“Artillery shelling rocked the city of Omdurman with military jets flying in the sky,” an eyewitness told Anadolu.
Sounds of explosions were also heard in several areas in Khartoum and Bahri, he added.

Yasser al-Atta, a member of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council, said army forces regained the Sudan Currency Printing Press (SCPP) building west of Khartoum from RSF fighters.

"We will respond to any violations of the cease-fire," al-Atta told Al Jazeera television.
The council member accused the RSF forces of violating the cease-fire deal by attacking the SCPP headquarters in Khartoum.

There was no comment from the RSF on the accusation.

According to local medics, at least 863 civilians have been killed and 3,531 others injured since the outbreak of the conflict on April 15.

Disagreement had been fomenting in recent months between the two sides over integration of the RSF into the armed forces — a key condition of Sudan's transition agreement with political groups.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since fall 2021, when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's transitional government and declared a state of emergency in a move decried by political forces as a "coup."

The transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, had been scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi