Saudi Arabia, US report fighting forces are improving adherence to Sudan ceasefire after days of fighting

CAIRO — Saudi Arabia and the United States said on Friday that the warring parties in Sudan’s conflict are more committed to a week-long ceasefire after days of sporadic fighting.

A ceasefire brokered by Riyadh and Washington came into effect on Monday, but fighting continued in Khartoum and the western Darfur region. Particularly violent clashes broke out on Wednesday, the two countries said in a joint statement.

The Sudanese conflict erupted in mid-April after several months of escalating tensions between the military led by General Abdel-Fattah Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces, a powerful paramilitary group led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. According to the latest data from the Syndicate of Sudanese Doctors, at least 863 civilians have been killed in the conflict, including at least 190 children.

The one-week ceasefire is the seventh attempt at a ceasefire, after others were violated.

A new cross-party committee tasked with monitoring potential violations on Wednesday observed “the use of artillery and military aircraft and drones, credible reports of airstrikes, ongoing fighting” in Khartoum and Darfur.

Amid Thursday’s calm, humanitarian missions “were able to deliver urgently needed medical care to several parts of Sudan,” the joint statement said. Efforts are underway to restore telecommunications services in the capital Khartoum and other areas of Sudan. country – he said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned both sides on Tuesday of possible sanctions if they do not respect the latest ceasefire.

According to the UN, more than one million Sudanese are refugees within the country, while around 300,000 have fled to neighboring countries. The conflict has brought the East African country to the brink of collapse, with the urban areas of Khartoum and its sister city Omdurman disintegrating into battlefields.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said late Thursday that the World Food Program had reached more than half a million people in nine states with food and nutrition assistance since distribution resumed about three weeks ago.

Riyadh and Washington have called on the army and the RSF to continue respecting the ceasefire.

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Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Edith Lederer from New York,