Any reduction in fighting must be welcomed when millions of civilians are trapped amid it. Already, more than 450 lives have been lost and thousands have been injured since the clash between Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the Sudanese army, and Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (known as Hemedti), the leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, began on 15 April. Yet far from holding out the prospect of a sustainable improvement, the 72-hour ceasefire in Sudan is only a brief respite in the conflict, and one pockmarked by violence.
Even if it holds for the full three days, what comes next may be worse. The deal, brokered by the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has allowed evacuations from the capital, Khartoum, and other cities. With foreign nationals safely out of the way, the two belligerents will be able to return to battle with little international attention. They appear to see this as a fight to the finish.
