Welcoming The Agreement Of The Generals In Sudan, The Secretary General Of The United Nations Urges An Armistice To Be Expanded

WASHINGTON - After one week of talks in the port city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the Sudanese Armed Forces and a paramilitary group of Rapid Support Forces (RSF) signed a "Declaration of Commitment to Protect Sudanese Civilians," the United States State Department (US) said Thursday, May 11.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Friday, May 12, welcomed the agreement between Sudan's warring generals to allow a safe flow of humanitarian aid in the country.

However, Guterres also stressed the need for a broader ceasefire in Sudan.

"While humanitarian workers, especially local partners, continue to provide assistance in very difficult circumstances, the Secretary-General (Guterres) hopes that this Declaration (Humanitarian Pact) will ensure that aid operations can be increased quickly and safely to meet the needs of millions of people in Sudan", UN Secretary-General spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

"He (Guterres) repeated his call for an immediate ceasefire and expanded discussions to achieve a permanent cessation of hostilities," Dujarric said.

All parties will now use the Jeddah forum to "focus on achieving an agreement on an effective ceasefire of up to about 10 days to facilitate this (forum) activity. Security measures will include a US-Saudi-backed ceasefire monitoring mechanism and the international community," he added.

Dujarric said that the United Nations "will not waste efforts to help" implement the humanitarian pact, "and will continue to provide humanitarian assistance, regardless of whether there is a ceasefire or not."

On April 15, fighting erupted between the Sudanese army and the RSF in the capital Khartoum and its surroundings. More than 600 people have died and thousands more have been injured.

The disagreements have emerged in recent months between the Sudanese army and the RSF on the integration of the RSF into the armed forces, which is one of the main conditions for Sudanese transition agreements with political groups.

Sudan does not have a government that has served since October 2021 when the military dissolved Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's transitional government and declared a state of emergency in a move criticized by political power as a "coup."

Sudan's transition period, which began in August 2019 after the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir, is scheduled to end in general elections in early 2024.