World leaders have been calling on Sudan’s warring parties to abide by an Eid al-Fitr ceasefire that began on Friday.
Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has announced that it will soon start a ceasefire despite heavy fighting with the army in the capital Khartoum.
The RSF said in a statement that it would abide by the 72-hour ceasefire, which will come into force at 6am (04:00GMT) on Friday, marking the start of the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday.
“The truce coincided with Eid al-Fitr and the opening of humanitarian corridors to evacuate citizens and give them a chance to greet their families,” the statement said.
Khartoum came under heavy shelling in the early hours of Friday, with the RSF accusing the army of launching a “all-out attack” on the capital.
The military did not say whether a ceasefire would also be enforced.
There have been a series of ceasefire failures since a bitter power struggle broke out last weekend between the army led by General Abdul Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces led by General Mohammad Hamdan Dagalo.
Thousands of civilians have fled Khartoum and large numbers have entered Chad to flee fighting in western Darfur.
Al-Burhan and Dagalo were allied as leaders of Sudan’s ruling military junta.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres and one of the most prominent international leaders recently called for a three-day truce during Eid al-Fitr and to allow civilians to reach safety.
At least 350 people have been killed in the fighting so far.
