Even after a ceasefire was announced, fierce fighting in Sudan continued. According to eyewitnesses, shots were heard in the capital Khartoum after 6 pm today. The paramilitary group RSF had declared its readiness for a ceasefire from this point in the afternoon. In any case, hope was slim, as the Sudanese army fighting the RSF had not agreed to a ceasefire in advance.
International mediators have been trying for days to persuade the parties to a ceasefire in order to create humanitarian corridors. The promised ceasefire has already been broken several times. In the northeast African country, army and RSF militia units have been fighting fiercely since Saturday. A deal to integrate the RSF into the army had previously failed.
Many hospitals out of order
For civilians trapped in their homes, the situation has become increasingly desperate: food supplies are dwindling, electricity is out and there is no clean water. The prospect of evacuating people the day before was dashed after a humanitarian ceasefire was broken just minutes after it took effect.
39 of the capital’s 59 hospitals and clinics were out of order due to the ongoing fighting, according to the Sudanese Medical Committee. Some hospitals were bombed, others were attacked and looted, he said. The committee called for “urgent intervention” to protect medical staff and patients.
An official of the European Commission was meanwhile shot. The information was confirmed on Wednesday by a spokeswoman for the agency. According to her, he is chief of staff of the General Directorate of Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) in Khartoum. He is Belgian and has been working there since 2019.