KHARTOUM – US President Joe Biden threatened more sanctions over Sudan’s turmoil on Thursday, saying the fighting “must end,” as gunfire and explosions rocked Khartoum for the 20th day in a row.
Hundreds of people have been killed in Sudan since violence broke out on April 15 between army head Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan’s forces and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo’s Rapid Support Forces over a disagreement over the RSF’s planned merger into the regular army.
As the previous cease-fire expired at midnight, the army said it was ready to sign a new seven-day truce, but the paramilitary RSF had not responded.
On Thursday, Biden signed an executive order broadening authorities to pursue sanctions on individuals responsible for the violence, albeit it does not name prospective targets.
The penalties were imposed on “individuals responsible for threatening Sudan’s peace, security, and stability; undermining Sudan’s democratic transition; using violence against civilians; or committing serious human rights violations,” according to the US president.
“The violence in Sudan is a tragedy, and it is a betrayal of the Sudanese people’s clear demand for civilian government and a democratic transition.” “It has to come to an end,” he remarked.
Witnesses in Khartoum reported loud explosions and exchanges of fire on the streets at morning, as well as clashes during the day, within hours of the current ostensible cease-fire taking effect.
The RSF was then accused by the foreign ministry of attacking the Indian embassy in Khartoum, the latest in a series of such incidents that the diplomatic mission did not immediately acknowledge.
According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, the fighting has killed approximately 700 individuals across Sudan, the majority of whom have died in Khartoum and Darfur.
The UN refugee agency said it was preparing for an exodus of 860,000 people from the north African country, adding that $445 million would be needed only to support them through October.
“The needs are numerous, as are the challenges.” If the issue persists, peace and stability in the region may be jeopardized, according to Raouf Mazou, the UNHCR’s associate chief of operations.
Since the fighting began, more than 100,000 people have fled Sudan.
Burhan and Daglo were scheduled to meet with international mediators on the day the fighting began to discuss the RSF’s incorporation into the army, a critical condition for the transition to democratic governance.
Instead, Khartoum awoke to the sound of gunshots echoing across the streets.
Martin Griffiths, the UN’s top humanitarian official, visited Sudan on Wednesday to try to negotiate safe passage for goods and aid workers after six trucks carrying World Food Programme food supplies were looted on their route to the war-torn western region of Darfur.