Sudan army, RSF agree to 24-hour truce

KHARTOUM, Sudan — The Sudanese army and Rapid Support Forces, who have been fighting since the weekend, agreed on Tuesday to a temporary, 24-hour cease-fire, The Associated Press quoted Arab media as saying.

Satellite channels Al-Arabiya and Al-Jazeera had reports citing the top military officer Shams El Din Kabbashi as saying that the military would comply with the cease-fire. CNN Arabic also said in a report, citing the Sudanese Armed Forces commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, that the military would be party to the daylong truce.

Earlier in the day, RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo said the RSF approved the 24-hour cease-fire to ensure the safe passage of civilians and the evacuation of the wounded, Reuters reported.

The fighting since Saturday has plunged the Sudanese capital of Khartoum and other areas of the country into chaos. Millions of Sudanese in the capital and in other major cities have been hiding in their homes, caught in the crossfire as the two forces battle for control.

At least 185 people have been killed and over 1,800 wounded since the fighting erupted, UN envoy Volker Perthes told reporters.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that a US embassy convoy came under fire in Sudan and denounced "indiscriminate military operations".

The convoy of clearly marked embassy vehicles was attacked on Monday, and preliminary reports link the assailants to the Rapid Support Forces, the paramilitary group battling Sudan's military, Blinken told reporters. Everyone in the convoy was safe, Blinken said.

The Sudanese military said the attack took place in Sudan's Darfur region.

A day earlier, the European Union ambassador to Sudan was attacked in his home in Khartoum, the bloc's top diplomat Josep Borrell said. "A few hours ago, the EU ambassador in Sudan was assaulted in his own residence," Borrell wrote on Twitter, without detailing any injuries to the envoy.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday strongly condemned the outbreak of fighting in Sudan, noting that the situation has already led to "horrendous loss of life", including many civilians.

The fighting is triggering a humanitarian crisis across the country. "The clashes are preventing people, especially in cities, from accessing food, water, education, fuel and other critical services for their families," UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths said on Monday. "Health services, already precarious, could be further pushed to the brink."

Egypt's flag carrier EgyptAir on Tuesday said it will continue the suspension of its flight to and from Sudan's Khartoum International Airport due to the continuous instability in Sudan. In a statement, EgyptAir said: "The suspension will continue until further notice."

Kenya has announced plans to evacuate 3,000 of its nationals from Sudan.

Agencies - Xinhua