Warring factions in Sudan agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire starting Tuesday.
The two sides appear to be honoring the fragile agreement after it was announced on Monday by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
- Violence broke out between Sudan's military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group on April 15.
- At least 459 people have died in the violence, which has also destroyed civic infrastructure such as water pipes.
- The
latest ceasefire appears to be holding and citizens have returned to
the streets of Khartoum despite some reports of gunfire and shelling.
- Both armed factions have committed to uphold the deal, which was reached after 48 hours of negotiations.
- Foreign governments hope the ceasefire will offer time for more evacuations to take place.
- Sudan has been under military rule since a coup toppled former authoritarian president Omar al-Bashir in 2019.
- In recent months, military leaders disagreed on how to integrate the 100,000-strong RSF into Sudan's army.
- The latest violence stems from a power struggle between General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who is Sudan's de factor ruler and commands the army, and his deputy leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who controls the RSF.
