Sudan's rival forces agree to 24-hour cease-fire: Saudi Press Agency

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - Sudan's warring rivals on Friday agreed to a day-long cease-fire after intervention from Riyadh and Washington, Saudi Arabia's state media said.

According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the two countries announced that "representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed to a 24-hour countrywide ceasefire" starting Saturday, 6 a.m. local time (0400 GMT).

The rival forces agreed to halt all kinds of hostilities, fighting, and reinforcement of positions, it added.

The truce also includes allowing "unimpeded movement and delivery of humanitarian assistance throughout the country."

Many rounds of peace talks between the two sides have taken place in Jeddah since the start of fighting in mid-April, resulting in several shaky and temporary deals to stop fighting.

The disagreement that started over the paramilitary group's integration into the armed forces, a key condition of Sudan's transition agreement with political groups, boiled into a full-blown conflict on April 15, as fighting erupted in the capital Khartoum.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021 when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's transitional government and declared a state of emergency in a move decried by political forces as a "coup."

The transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, had been scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

Millions of people are now facing a humanitarian disaster, and are in need of assistance.