According to the United Nations (UNO), the US-brokered ceasefire in Sudan has so far held “in some parts”. However, there are no signs that the warring parties are ready to “seriously negotiate, which indicates that both think that a military victory over the other side is possible,” said the UN special envoy for Sudan, Volker Perthes, yesterday before the UN Security Council. This is a miscalculation.
Despite the ceasefire, fighting in the capital Khartoum around the Palace of the Republic, the international airport and the headquarters and bases of the army and RSF “largely continued or in some cases intensified,” Perthes said.
Airstrikes and heavy shelling, particularly in the towns of Omdurman and Bahri near Khartoum, continued. The airport is reportedly back in operation, but the aprons are damaged.
looting and burglaries
There are also numerous reports of burglaries, looting of houses and shops and cars stolen at checkpoints. The victims included Sudanese citizens, as well as United Nations staff, humanitarian workers and diplomatic staff.
The fear of increasing crime is growing. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to the Security Council for an end to the violence and warned of the outbreak of a full-scale war.
