President Salva Kiir has asked for another 72-hour ceasefire in Sudan to allow civilians trapped in the violence to access basic needs and humanitarian support.
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed to the ceasefire “following intense negotiations”, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement shortly before the truce took effect from midnight (2200 GMT Monday).
The US-brokered ceasefire between Sudan’s warring generals officially came into effect on Tuesday after 10 days of urban combat, killing hundreds, wounded thousands, and sparked a mass exodus of foreigners.
The US-brokered 72 hours comes to an end on April 27, 2023.
In a press briefing held at the office of the president on Wednesday, Deng Dau, acting minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, says as Kiir is to lead IGAD high-level delegation to Khartoum to mediate peace talks, he has been in contact with both the two rival leaders.
He explains that Kiir has appealed for extension of the ceasefire in Sudan, which they expect to be effective from April 26, 2023, up to April 30, 2023
“President Salva Kiir reached out the two leaders [Burhan and Hemedti] and appealed to them to ceasefire and return to the table of discussion, he is in support of the ceasefire by other international committees, and he is appealing for another 72 hours ceasefire,’’ he told reporters.
For his part, the government spokesperson, Michael Makuei, says the government of South Sudan is deeply concerned by the situation in Sudan.
‘’South Sudan is against the war in Sudan; it is standing neutral on the ongoing violence and calling upon the fighting groups to cease…hostilities,” Makuei stated.
“Nobody wishes to go to war, but we encourage the two warring parties to stop the bloodshed and embrace peace.”
On the peace process in South Sudan, he said the war in Sudan will not affect the peace deal implementation, for the government is taking precautions that whatever is happening in Khartoum-Sudan does not affect South Sudan.
For precautions taken, Makuei says all those entering South Sudan through the entry points are disarmed and taken to refugee camps, adding that ‘’The security aspects are seriously being handled well at the border entry points.”
Meanwhile, the minister of Presidential Affairs, Dr. Barnaba Marial, said the government assures that once there is stability, ceasefire respected, and the airport is secured, President Kiir and other leaders will travel to Khartoum to meditate on peace and reconciliation among the two leaders.
On April 16, fighting broke out in Khartoum between the two rival military forces led by two generals, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the President of Sudan sovereign council, and his deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, the head of the Rapid Support Forces RSF over a failed planned to reintegrate the RSF forces into Sudan regular army force.
At least 427 people have been killed and more than 3,700 wounded, according to UN agencies.
