Residents of the capital city of Sudan reported hearing artillery fire and fighting on Tuesday despite a unilateral ceasefire declared by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for the Muslim holiday of Eid Al Adha.
A ceasefire was declared for Tuesday and Wednesday in an audio message by RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, after his troops gained control of a significant police post in southern Khartoum and seized several vehicles and considerable quantities of weaponry.
The army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Since violence between the army and the RSF broke out in mid-April, numerous ceasefire agreements and declarations have fallen through, including several that Saudi Arabia and the United States arranged at talks in Jeddah that were terminated last week.
In his audio message, Hemedti said the RSF would establish a special committee under a senior commander to investigate violations, which would be treated “with severity and seriousness”.
“We affirm clearly that our long-time position is that we reject and condemn any violations committed against citizens,” he said.
According to figures from the International Organisation for Migration published on Tuesday, nearly 2.8 million people have been uprooted by the war, with more than 2.15 million internally displaced and about 650,000 migrating into neighbouring countries.
