Sudan Military Faction Chiefs Agree May 4-11 Truce in Principle

Plumes of smoke rise on the horizon in an area east of Khartoum as fighting continues between Sudan's army and the paramilitary forces, on April 28, 2023. (AFP)
Plumes of smoke rise on the horizon in an area east of Khartoum as fighting continues between Sudan's army and the paramilitary forces, on April 28, 2023. (AFP)
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Sudan Military Faction Chiefs Agree May 4-11 Truce in Principle

Plumes of smoke rise on the horizon in an area east of Khartoum as fighting continues between Sudan's army and the paramilitary forces, on April 28, 2023. (AFP)
Plumes of smoke rise on the horizon in an area east of Khartoum as fighting continues between Sudan's army and the paramilitary forces, on April 28, 2023. (AFP)

Sudan's warring military factions agreed on Tuesday in principle to a seven-day ceasefire from Thursday, South Sudan announced, as more air strikes and shooting in the Khartoum region disrupted the latest short-term truce.

A statement released by the foreign ministry of South Sudan, which had offered to mediate in the conflict, said its President Salva Kiir stressed the importance of a longer truce and of naming envoys to peace talks, to which both sides had agreed.

The credibility of the reported May 4-11 deal ceasefire deal between Sudanese army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and paramilitary Rapid Support forces (RSF) leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo was unclear, given the rampant violations that undermined previous agreements running from 24 to 72 hours.

Sudan's war has forced 100,000 people to flee over its borders and fighting now its third week is creating a humanitarian crisis, UN officials said earlier on Tuesday.

The conflict risks developing into a broader disaster as Sudan's impoverished neighbors deal with a refugee crunch and fighting hampers aid deliveries in a nation where two-thirds of the people already rely on some outside assistance.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said Cairo would provide support for dialogue in Sudan between the rival factions, but was also "being careful about not interfering in their domestic matters".

"The entire region could be affected," he said in an interview with a Japanese newspaper on Tuesday as an envoy from Sudan's army chief, who leads one of the warring sides, met Egyptian officials in Cairo.

United Nations officials had said UN aid chief Martin Griffiths aimed to visit Sudan on Tuesday but the timing was still to be confirmed.

The UN World Food Program said on Monday it was resuming work in the safer parts of the country after a pause earlier in the conflict, in which some WFP staff were killed.

"The risk is that this is not just going to be a Sudan crisis, it's going to be a regional crisis," said Michael Dunford, the WFP's East Africa director.

The commanders of the army and RSF, who had shared power as part of an internationally backed transition towards free elections and civilian government, have shown no sign of backing down, yet neither seems able to secure a quick victory.

That has raised the specter of a prolonged conflict that could draw in outside powers.



Report: US Embassy in Iraq Preparing for Ordered Evacuation Due to ‘Heightened Security Risks’

The US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. (Reuters file)
The US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. (Reuters file)
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Report: US Embassy in Iraq Preparing for Ordered Evacuation Due to ‘Heightened Security Risks’

The US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. (Reuters file)
The US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. (Reuters file)

The US embassy in Iraq is preparing for an ordered evacuation due to heightened security risks in the region, an Iraqi security official and a US source said on Wednesday.

Iran's Minister of Defense Aziz Nasirzadeh said earlier in the day that Tehran will strike US bases in the region if nuclear talks and conflict arise with Washington.

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"The State Department is set to have an ordered departure for (the) US embassy in Baghdad. The intent is to do it through commercial means, but the US military is standing by if help is requested," another US official said.

US President Donald Trump said he was less confident that Iran will agree to stop uranium enrichment in a nuclear deal with Washington, according to an interview released on Wednesday.

Another US official said that there was no change in operations at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest US military base in the Middle East and that no evacuation order had been issued for employees or families linked to the US Embassy in Qatar, which was operating as usual.

Trump has repeatedly threatened Iran with bombing if it does not reach a new nuclear deal.