KHARTOUM (AP) -- Air strikes and artillery pounded Khartoum on Friday after Sudan’s warring army and Rapid Support Forces paramilitary failed to agree a ceasefire despite committing to protect civilians and allow humanitarian access.
A so-called declaration of principles was signed in Saudi Arabia late on Thursday after nearly a week of talks between the two sides, but neither has yet released statements acknowledging the deal.
Since clashing suddenly on April 15 the rival military factions have shown no sign they are ready to offer concessions to end fighting that has killed hundreds and threatens to pitch Sudan into a full-blown civil war.
“We were expecting that the agreement would calm down the war, but we woke up to artillery fire and airstrikes,” said Mohamed Abdallah, 39, living in Southern Khartoum. The same was heard in neighboring Bahri.
Thursday’s deal includes commitments to allowing safe passage for civilians, medics, and humanitarian relief, and to minimize harm to civilians and public facilities.
Mediators pushed the sides to sign the declaration of principles on civilian protections in order to reduce tensions because of continuing disagreement on a wider ceasefire, one of those involved in the mediation said.
“The two sides are quite far apart,” a senior state department official said on Thursday, adding that they didn’t expect full compliance to the principles.
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan described the deal as a first step. “The most important thing is to adhere to what was agreed upon,” he said on Twitter.
Previous ceasefire agreements have been repeatedly violated, leaving civilians to navigate a terrifying landscape of chaos and bombardment with failing power and water, little food and a collapsing health system.
The agreement committed the two sides to evacuating public and private property, including private homes, which residents have accused particularly the RSF of occupying. The RSF has denied these claims, blaming elements of the military and other armed groups.
Western countries condemned abuses by both sides at a human rights meeting in Geneva on Thursday.
Some 200,000 people have fled from Sudan to neighboring countries since violence erupted last month, a spokesperson for the UN refugee agency said on Friday, including many malnourished children arriving in Chad.
Some 60,000 have arrived through the desert to Chad, including about 30,000 in the past few days, UN refugee agency (UNHCR) spokesperson Olga Sarrado told a Geneva press briefing. Nearly 90% of the new arrivals are women and children, she said, and one fifth of the young children are malnourished.