Sudan's Eid al-Adha ceasefire violated as fighting continues in Khartoum

A 24-hour ceasefire agreed upon in Sudan on the occasion of Eid al-Adha was violated on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, both the warring sides – the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – unilaterally agreed to a truce for Eid, which was to last over the course of Tuesday and Wednesday.

However, early on Wednesday morning, the sound of airstrikes and shelling could be heard in the Sudanese capital Khartoum followed by the familiar sight of flames and black smoke, witnesses reported

Neither side has commented on the breaking of the truce.

Despite both sides separately agreeing to cease fighting on the occasion of Eid, the omens of the truce lasting were not good, as fighting raged in Khartoum and across Sudan in the days immediately preceding it.

On Tuesday, the RSF consolidated their position in the Sudanese capital by capturing the headquarters of the Army-allied Central Reserve Police after ferocious fighting.

Violence has also intensified over the past few days in West Darfur, where most of the recent civilian deaths have occurred, with the RSF being accused of ethnically targeting African tribal leaders.

The collapse of the Eid truce follows a similar pattern, with 17 ceasefires failing in the conflict so far. US and Saudi-brokered peace negotiations have been put on hold, with no end in sight for the now over two-month long conflict. Both sides have accused each other of violating truces and targeting civilians. 

Over 2.8 million people have been displaced by the fighting between the rival generals Abdul Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, better known as Hemedti, leaders of the Sudanese Army and RSF respectively.

At least 2000 civilians have been killed in the fighting, though the real figure is thought to be much higher, while a record 25 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian aid.