On Tuesday, South Sudan's foreign ministry announced that The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have agreed to a seven-day ceasefire.
A released statement reads that The two sides also said they would send delegates to peace negotiations at an agreed venue. The SAF and RSF have not responded to the report through their official channels.
Previous ceasefires have failed to halt the bloodshed between different militias nationwide. Failed discussions between Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo erupted in mid-April into intense fighting between the two sides, prompting a large outflow of refugees from the conflict-torn country and killing at least 528 people.
The declaration on Tuesday came as the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) warned that over 800,000 people might flee to neighbouring countries for safety as ongoing conflict impedes evacuation convoys from key Sudanese ports.
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According to Mazou, an estimated 73,000 individuals have fled Sudan to neighbouring countries.
Thousands of foreign nationals have fled the country as Western nations intervened to evacuate their citizens. In contrast, thousands more local families have faced risky travels from Khartoum's capital, leaving them to fend for themselves.
Many villagers remain stuck in their houses, with water, food, medicine, and electricity shortages raising the likelihood of a humanitarian crisis. At the same time, relief agencies prioritize medical aid distribution to conflict-affected hospitals.
The fighting erupted this week in West Darfur, where the two warring generals, Burhan and Dagalo, have a history of playing significant roles in the region's civil war, which began in 2003.
Burhan commanded Sudan's army in Darfur, while Dagalo led one of the several Arab militias, the Janjaweed, which was involved in human rights violations and atrocities.
This declaration comes when the united nations secretary-general antonio guterres is in kenya to find a long-term solution to the raging conflict in sudan.
