Sudan: Fighting resumes in Khartoum after 24-hour ceasefire
Fierce fighting resumed in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Monday.
Since mid-April, Sudan’s military, headed by Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, led by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, have been locked in a violent conflict.
The fighting has killed more than 860 civilians, according to Sudan’s Doctors’ Syndicate, which tracks civilian casualties, though the actual death toll is likely much higher.
Last Friday, warring sides in the African nation agreed to a 24-hour cease-fire which started 6am on Saturday and ended at 6 am Sunday morning.
Sudan’s conflict has reduced the capital of Khartoum to an urban battlefield, with many city districts without running water or electricity.
Widespread looting and sexual violence has been reported, including the rape of women and girls in Khartoum and the western Darfur region.
Almost all reported cases of sexual attacks were blamed on the RSF. The paramilitary has not responded to repeated requests for comment.
According to a spokesperson for the U.N. refugee agency, hundreds of thousands have been displaced from their homes by the fighting.
About 1.42 million have been displaced within Sudan and some 451,000 have left the country, including refugees from South Sudan who have returned home, the agency said.
