Residential buildings damaged in fighting are seen in Khartoum, Sudan on April 20, 2023. This was despite reports that warring forces had welcomed a proposal for a truce during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr. (PHOTO / AP)
CAIRO – Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said it had agreed to a 72-hour truce on humanitarian grounds, effective from 6 am (0400 GMT) Friday, offering a potential respite from a six-day military conflict with the Sudanese army.
"The truce coincides with the blessed Eid Al-Fitr (Muslim holiday) … to open humanitarian corridors to evacuate citizens and give them the opportunity to greet their families," the RSF said in a statement.
The RSF said it had to act in "self-defense" to repel what it described as a coup attempt, adding that it is committed to a "complete ceasefire" during the armistice period
The RSF said it had to act in "self-defense" to repel what it described as a coup attempt, adding that it is committed to a "complete ceasefire" during the armistice period.
There was no immediate comment from the Sudanese army.
More than 330 people have been killed so far in the violent power struggle which broke out last weekend between two previously allied leaders of Sudan's ruling military junta.
The fiercest battles between the army and the RSF have been in and around the capital Khartoum – one of Africa's largest urban areas – and in Darfur, still scarred by a long conflict that ended three years ago.
ALSO READ: Ceasefire defied in Khartoum, Japan plans evacuation
UN's Geterres appeals for a ceasefire
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday appealed for a ceasefire to allow civilians to reach safety.
Thousands of civilians streamed out of the capital Khartoum as gunfire and explosions sounded on Thursday. Large numbers also crossed into Chad to flee fighting in the western region of Darfur.
At least 350 people have been killed so far in the violent power struggle which broke out last weekend between two previously allied leaders of Sudan's ruling military junta, Sudan's army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
A doctors' group separately said at least 26 people were killed and 33 were injured in El-Obeid, a city west of Khartoum, on Thursday, the eve of Eid al-Fitr which ends the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Witnesses there described clashes between the army and RSF troops and widespread looting.
Guterres, speaking to reporters after meeting virtually with the heads of the African Union, the Arab League and other organizations on Thursday, said: "There was a strong consensus on condemning ongoing fighting in Sudan and calling for cessation of hostilities as an immediate priority".
Urging a three-day ceasefire, he said civilians trapped in conflict zones should be allowed to escape and to seek medical treatment, food and other supplies. The United States endorsed the ceasefire proposal.
Burhan told Al Jazeera he would support a truce on condition it allowed citizens to move freely – something he said the RSF had so far prevented. He also said he currently saw no partner for negotiations, and "no other option but the military solution".
READ MORE: Sudan's warring generals agree 24-hour ceasefire
His rival Dagalo told Al Jazeera he was ready to implement a three-day truce. Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti, has said several times he supports short ceasefires but each has quickly collapsed.
"We are talking about a humanitarian truce, we are talking about safe passages … we are not talking about sitting down with a criminal," Dagalo said, referring to Burhan.
Burhan accused Dagalo, until last week his deputy on the council that has ruled since a coup two years ago, of "a power grab".
An alliance between the two men had mostly held since the overthrow four years ago of long-time strongman Omar al-Bashir, whose rule saw Sudan become an international pariah that was on the US terrorism list.
The latest violence was triggered by disagreement over an internationally backed plan to form a new civilian government. Both sides accuse the other of thwarting the transition.
Fighting and fleeing
Since hostilities erupted, much of the fighting has focused on the Khartoum compound housing the army headquarters and Burhan's residence. The embassy district and airport have also been the scene of clashes.
In Khartoum and sister cities Omdurman and Bahri, residents gathered on Thursday at bus terminals with suitcases.
"There's no food. Supermarkets are empty. The situation isn't safe, honestly, so people are leaving," said a resident who gave only his first name, Abdelmalek.
Many other local people remain trapped, along with thousands of foreigners in a city that has become a war zone.
ALSO READ: Gunfire heard as Sudan’s army, paramilitaries clash
Burnt-out vehicles littered the streets and buildings had gaping holes from shells. Hospitals, where bodies lie unburied, were closed.
Around 10,000 to 20,000 people escaping the fighting have taken refuge in villages along the border inside Chad, UN refugee agency UNHCR and the World Food Programme (WFP) said.
Even before the conflict, around a quarter of Sudan's population was facing acute hunger, but the WFP halted one of its largest global operations in the country on Saturday after three workers were killed.
Sudan borders seven countries and sits strategically between Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and Africa's volatile Sahel region, so the hostilities risk fanning regional tensions.