Eid Truce Crumbles as Air Raids Strike Sudan's Capital

Despite declarations of a truce for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, air raids and anti-aircraft fire struck Sudan's capital Khartoum on Wednesday, according to reports from local residents. This marks the latest escalation of a major humanitarian crisis that has been unfolding since April, when war between Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began.

The conflict has seen more than 10 weeks of heavy clashes and looting in the cities that make up the wider capital around the confluence of the River Nile – Khartoum, Khartoum North and Omdurman. While the violence in and around Khartoum continues, the conflict has also triggered a resurgence of ethnically motivated killings in the western region of Darfur.

The UN mission in Sudan released a statement on Wednesday, stressing the need for both parties to maintain the ceasefire and hold each other accountable for violence against civilians, rape, looting, and ethnically targeted violence. The fighting broke out amidst disputes over what powers the parties would retain under a transition to civilian rule.

Since then, multiple ceasefire deals have failed to take hold, including several brokered by Saudi Arabia and the United StatesThe situation in Darfur has become particularly dire. Entire cities are under siege, the UN says, and neighbourhoods have been burned to the ground. In addition to the 300,000 people killed and 2.5 million displaced in the 2003 Darfur conflict, an additional 170,000 people have fled Darfur into neighbouring Chad in recent months, according to the UN refugee agency.

The latest International Organization for Migration data puts the total number of people seeking refuge outside Sudan at almost 645,000, with about 2.2 million more displaced within the country. It is clear that the ongoing violence in Sudan must be addressed and accountability must be maintained in order to bring an end to this humanitarian crisis. The UN mission in Sudan remains committed to working with both parties to keep the peace and ensure the protection of civilians, particularly those in Darfur.