Top-ranking Sudanese army officials appeared to contradict each other about whether the military would abide by a 24-hour cease-fire in the spiraling conflict in the North African country, just hours before the proposed 6 p.m. start.
As fighting raged for a fourth day in the capital, Khartoum, the official army spokesman said in a statement that the dispute had entered a “critical phase” and that the army wasn’t aware of any mediation efforts. But Shams El Din Kabbashi, a member of Sudan’s Sovereign Council, told Al-Arabiya television that the temporary truce would be implemented.
The army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has clashed with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces under rival Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo in Khartoum and other cities since April 15, leaving more than 180 people dead and at least 1,800 others injured. The conflict has set back hopes of a return to civilian rule after a 2021 coup and sparked fears of a full-blown civil war.
