CAIRO, April 20. /TASS/. Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have suggested extending a humanitarian ceasefire for the holiday of Eid Al-Fitr, which marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and will begin on April 21, the Al Arabiya TV channel reported on Thursday.
On Wednesday, the RSF announced its readiness to abide by the ceasefire that was supposed to enter into force at 6:00 p.m. local time (15:00 GMT). Sudan’s army also agreed to maintain the ceasefire. However, according to Arabic TV channels, gunfire and blasts were heard in the country’s capital of Khartoum after 6:00 p.m. Fighting continued in and around Khartoum on Thursday.
The situation in Sudan escalated because of disagreements between Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of Sudan’s ruling Sovereignty Council and army chief, and RSF commander Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (Hamidti), who is his deputy in the council. On April 15, clashes broke out between the two groups near a military base in the city of Merowe and in the capital of Khartoum. According to the latest data, at least 198 civilians have been killed in the fighting, over 1,000 have suffered casualties and more than 3,300 had to flee their homes.