The Sudanese army accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of violating the truce and attacking the Tawila area in North Darfur.
In a statement, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) spokesperson’s office said that elements of the rebel militia had attacked the Tawila area in North Darfur State, for the second day in a row, in clear violation of the truce.
He added that the rebels have committed serious violations against the citizens of the region over the past two days.
This included the killing of 15 and injuring dozens of unarmed civilians, the burning of the market, the looting of a large number of shops, the displacement of hundreds of citizens of the region, and other atrocities that the militia has not hesitated to commit since its disastrous rebellion.
Commander of the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces Mohammed Hamdan Daglo (Hemeti) announced on Monday that he had contacted the Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
On his Twitter account, Hemeti said that he discussed with the Saudi Foreign Minister a number of issues and topics related to the situation in Sudan and the efforts exerted to achieve stability, especially the efforts led by Saudi Arabia and the United States in Jeddah.
“I assured Prince Faisal bin Farhan of our commitment to the Jeddah Declaration and the agreement we reached on a ceasefire and a humanitarian truce to facilitate the delivery of aid and the provision of necessary services to citizens,” he said.
“We also discussed important details about the efforts led by the Kingdom and international partners to achieve stability in our country through the Jeddah platform, ” he added.
A joint Saudi-American statement announced last Saturday that representatives of the SAF and the RSF have agreed on a 72-hour ceasefire throughout Sudan, starting from 6 a.m. Sunday, June 18 Khartoum time
In an other context, Donors at a UN conference in Geneva on Monday pledged a total of $1.5 billion in humanitarian aid to support the Sudanese people.
However, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said $3 billion was needed and warned that the country was sliding “to death and destruction” too quickly.
“The unprecedented scale and speed of Sudan’s descent into death and destruction, and without strong international support, Sudan could quickly become a place of lawlessness, spreading insecurity across the region,” he said.
Hundreds of civilians have been killed and thousands injured since clashes broke out in mid-April, Guterres said.
“These numbers are increasing by the day,” the UN chief said. The situation in Darfur and Khartoum is catastrophic. Fighting is raging with people being attacked in their homes and on the streets.”
“Before this conflict, Sudan was already in a humanitarian crisis. Now this situation has escalated into a catastrophe affecting more than half of the country’s population.”
Guterres condemned violence against aid workers and looting of humanitarian supplies, and appealed to the warring parties to protect civilians and enable humanitarian action.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk reiterated his desire to mediate between the two sides in the conflict.
“I called on all nations to help find a solution to this disaster. However, the efforts to pursue and maintain the ceasefire have yielded little success.”
UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) chief Filippo Grandi said the commitment shown by donors to those affected “comes at the right time” as UNHCR resources dwindle.
“These pledges will save lives and help ease some of the difficulties.”Ultimately, of course, only a lasting peace will allow the Sudanese to return to their lives.”
