Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Blinken warns rival Sudanese generals to respect latest truce or face possible sanctions

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned Sudan’s rival generals to abide by the latest cease-fire or face possible sanctions

Samy Magdy
Tuesday 23 May 2023 05:37 EDT

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Sudan's rival generals to abide by the latest cease-fire or face possible sanctions as residents reported sporadic fighting Tuesday between the warring sides in the capital of Khartoum and a northern city.

Sudan descended into chaos after fighting erupted in mid-April between the country's military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

The fighting has killed hundreds, wounded thousands and turned Khartoum and other urban areas into battlefields. Early on, foreign governments raced to evacuate their diplomats and nationals as thousands of foreign residents scrambled to get out of Sudan. More than 1 million Sudanese have been forced from their homes by the fighting.

Over the past weeks, the United States and Saudi Arabia have been mediating in talks between the warring sides, held in the kingdom. A new truce was announced over the weekend — the seventh attempt so far to stop the deadly violence in the East African nation. It went into effect on Monday night. All previous cease-fires have been violated.

In a video message posted by the U.S. Embassy on social media early Tuesday, Blinken said the fighting has been “tragic, senseless and devastating.”

The truce, he said, is meant to allow the delivery of humanitarian assistance and restore essential services and infrastructure destroyed in the clashes.

A remote mechanism, backed by the U.S., has been established to monitor the truce, Blinken added — a 12-member monitoring committee consisting of three representatives from the warring sides, three from the U.S., and three from Saudi Arabia.

“If the cease-fire is violated, we’ll know and we will hold violators accountable through sanctions and other means,” he said. “We facilitated the cease-fire, but it’s the responsibility of the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces to implement it.”

Both sides agreed to stop hostilities and the looting of civilian properties and humanitarian supplies, as well as seizing civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, power planets, water pumps, and fuel stations.

Aid workers and civilians have reported widespread looting in Khartoum and elsewhere across the country, along with dire lack of basic services, medical care, food, and water. A doctor's group has also said that the RSF has seized hospitals. Allegations of sexual violence against women, including rape and gang rape in Khartoum and the restive western Darfur region, have also been reported.

Residents, meanwhile, said they heard laud sounds of gunfire and explosions Tuesday in parts of Omdurman, a city next to Khartoum, with military aircraft flying overhead. They also reported sporadic clashes around the military’s headquarters in Khartoum.

“Sounds of firefight are very close,” said Babakr Abdel-Rahman, an Omdurman resident, speaking over the phone, with loud sounds of gunfire and aircraft heard in the background. “They don’t respect people’s lives.”

Fighting was also reported in the northern city of Obeid, where RSF was said to have attacked the military headquarters and other parts of the city.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in