Breached Sudan truce extended by five days: US, Saudi mediators

KHARTOUM: The United States and Saudi Arabia said on Monday that a humanitarian truce, repeatedly violated by warring sides in Sudan, has been extended by five days. The mediators “welcome agreement by the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to a five-day extension of the ceasefire agreement they signed on May 20, 2023,” a joint statement said. A day earlier the mediators had said there were “violations by both parties that significantly impeded” the truce´s goals of allowing humanitarian aid for civilians, delivered through secure corridors, and the restoration of essential services.

They added that both the army and the paramilitary RSF were “posturing for further escalation”. Shortly before the initial one-week ceasefire was to expire at 1945 GMT, Washington and Riyadh announced the extension.