North Darfur Governor Announces Ceasefire Agreement The Governor of North Darfur, Nimir Mohamed Abdelrahman, announced an agreement to cease fighting in the state, which is one of the five states in the Darfur region. Meanwhile, violent clashes and airstrikes have renewed in various areas of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.
Abdelrahman stated in a televised speech posted on his official Facebook page on the occasion of Eid al-Adha that “we, in the government of North Darfur, have taken a good initiative from many parties and sat down with civil administrations, civil society organizations, police, youth, and women’s unions, and formed a committee to stop the fighting in North Darfur. We reached the conclusion that we will not gain anything from fighting but lose.”
He added that “with the approval of all these parties and other parties in the state, for the sake of peace and stability for the population, we presented a model for security and safety, and we hope to apply our experience throughout Sudan.”
Abdelrahman urged “the parties to the crisis in the country to honestly and impartially review their positions and positions to know what the people of Sudan have gained from this war and whether there can be a winner or loser in this crisis.”
The Governor did not announce the mechanism for implementing the ceasefire or the timing of its implementation or the obligations imposed on each of the conflicting parties. Since the crisis erupted in mid-April, many areas in North Darfur have witnessed fierce battles resulting in thousands of deaths and injuries and the displacement of hundreds of thousands.
In Khartoum, eyewitnesses reported heavy clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces in several areas, accompanied by shelling on a number of sites in the “East Nile” suburb.
Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced that it mediated the release of 125 Sudanese soldiers. Jean-Christophe Sandoz, the head of the ICRC delegation in Sudan, said in a statement that “we are ready to work as a neutral mediator to release detainees from all conflict parties when requested.”
The two parties continue to exchange accusations of starting the fighting and committing violations during a series of previous truces that failed to put an end to the ongoing conflict since April 15.
