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THE Sudanese army and rival militia forces, who have been battling since the weekend, agreed to a 24-hour “humanitarian” ceasefire today, Arab media reports said.
The fighting began on Saturday and has plunged the Sudanese capital of Khartoum and other areas of the country into chaos.
Millions of Sudanese in the capital and in other major cities have been hiding in their homes, caught in the crossfire as the two forces battle for control, with each general so far insisting he will crush the other.
Satellite channels Al-Arabiya and Al-Jazeera carried reports citing top military officer Shams El Din Kabbashi as saying that the military would comply with the ceasefire.
Earlier, CNN Arabic also said in a report, citing the head of the country’s military, General Abdel Fattah Burhan, that the military would be party to the day-long truce.
This comes a day after a United States embassy convoy was shot at in Khartoum and forces of the two rivals pounded each other for a fourth day with heavy weapons.
The attack, along with an assault on the European Union envoy’s residence and the shelling of the Norwegian ambassador’s home, signalled a further descent into chaos in the fighting.
Millions of Sudanese in the capital and in other major cities have been hiding in their homes, caught in the crossfire as the two forces battle for control, with each general so far insisting he will crush the other.
More than 185 people have been killed and more than 1,800 wounded since fighting began Saturday, according to United Nations figures.
The Sudan Doctors Syndicate said today that at least 144 civilians has been killed and more than 1,400 wounded.
The overall death toll could be much higher because clashes in Khartoum have prevented the removal of bodies in some areas.
The US State Department said late on Monday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone separately with the two rival generals.
He said: “I made it very clear that any attacks or threats or dangers posed to our diplomats were totally unacceptable.”
Mr Blinken appealed for an immediate 24-hour ceasefire, as a foundation for a longer truce and a return to negotiations.
The violence has raised the spectre of civil war just as the Sudanese were trying to revive the drive for a democratic, civilian government after decades of military rule.
