The failure of the “Eid truce” and the escalation of battles…and dead bodies in the streets of the “paralyzed” capital
Khartoum: Muhammad Amin Yassin – Washington: Ali Barada – London: Asharq Al-Awsat
A number of countries began preparing to evacuate their nationals from Sudan, after the failure of the armistice, which was scheduled to begin on the first day of the holiday, as the armed conflict continued between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, and explosions and heavy artillery shelling rocked the capital, Khartoum, yesterday.
Meanwhile, the White House announced that no decision had been taken yet to evacuate its diplomatic mission, but Washington had moved US forces nearby in case they were needed to help evacuate its nationals. The European Union has also drawn up plans for possible evacuations of its nationals, according to what an official in the bloc announced yesterday.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense sent a “C-130” to Djibouti, explaining in a tweet that the goal was to “quickly make the necessary preparations for the transfer of Japanese and other nationals.”
A spokesman for the German Ministry of Defense said that the armed forces began preparations for a new attempt to evacuate German citizens from Sudan, after it had abandoned another plan two days ago.
Sweden and Switzerland also said that they are making plans to evacuate their nationals from Sudan as soon as possible, given that most of the country’s airports were damaged during the fighting, especially the main Khartoum airport adjacent to the army headquarters, where the strongest battles have been taking place for a week.
Although both sides of the conflict welcomed a proposed truce during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, Khartoum residents confirmed that fierce battles took place in different parts of the capital, which had become paralyzed, and dead bodies were scattered in a number of its streets. The clashes left more than 400 dead and 3,500 wounded, according to a new toll reported by the World Health Organization.
In an official statement from the US State Department, Secretary Anthony Blinken called, in contact with the parties to the Sudanese conflict, to start negotiations immediately on arrangements for a sustainable ceasefire, with the participation of the civilian parties, to avoid further damage.
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