Sudan agrees to new truce after multiple attempts violated

First modification: 05/21/2023 – 12:20

Once again, hopes were placed on a new truce, despite the violations of the previous agreements in Sudan. A new ceasefire signature in the country, a new attempt to unravel the current conflict. the deal It will enter into force on the night of Monday, May 22 and will last for one week, but the multiple violations of previous truces by both factions raise doubts about its veracity. The truce, between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (FAR) paramilitary group, seeks to facilitate humanitarian assistance and restore, US Secretary Antony Blinken said, essential services that the Sudanese people “desperately need.” Blinken, through his spokeswoman, also asked General al-Burhan for “flexibility” and “leadership” in achieving such a peace.

This new truce comes when the parties have already entered their sixth week of fighting and the talks for a long-term peace agreement – sponsored by the United States and Saudi Arabia – do not reach any point due to the constant accusations of violations by both sides. This time, the agreement is backed by a ceasefire monitoring mechanism mediated by both foreign powers, according to the statement.

In the last days, ground clashes again reached the Darfur region, but they have also worsened in the urban areas of the capital, Khartoum, with artillery and aerial bombardments hitting areas on the outskirts of the city. The shrapnel has even reached foreign embassies and government headquarters, such as the Qatari embassy.

humanitarian crisis

The fighting also hit hospitals, religious centers, schools and the homes of hundreds of Sudanese, causing a humanitarian crisis that has displaced 1.1 million Sudanese. Most have fled to other parts of Sudan, but more than 250,000 They have escaped to neighboring countries. According to the United Nations, more than 700 people have died in the African country and there would be more than 5,000 injured.

Added to the tragedies of the war, both in Khartoum and West Darfur there are numerous reports of rape and sexual abuse of women. A situation that is coming to light through social networks, with many women denouncing sexual violence – a crime that had previously been pointed out by human rights organizations during the fighting in Darfur in 2003 – through the Internet, before the Lack of organizations that verify these complaints.

The United Nations said in a statement that there is “critical” shortage of supplies for the clinical management of rape kits, as well as a lack of health and psychological personnelgiven that many doctors have fled the main cities due to the fighting, which worsens the care of the thousands of wounded inside the country.