Khartoum: The Sudanese army and a rival paramilitary group announced on Sunday that they would extend a humanitarian cease-fire for an additional 72 hours. The decision was made in response to international pressure to permit the safe passage of aid and civilians, but the tenuous cease-fire has not yet stopped the fighting.

Both sides accused the other of violations in statements. Although the agreement has reduced the intensity of the fighting in some areas, violence still forces civilians to flee. Aid organisations have also had difficulty bringing in the urgently required supplies.

The nation's army and its paramilitary force started fighting on April 15; the conflict now threatens to plunge Sudan into a bloody civil war. On Sunday, the UN issued a dire warning, stating that the Sudanese humanitarian crisis had reached "a breaking point."

Also Read: Pilots who planned to smuggle people into the UK are now behind bars

Martin Griffiths, the UN's head of humanitarian affairs, said in a statement that "the scale and speed of what is unfolding in Sudan is unprecedented."

He claimed that it is becoming more difficult to find food and water in the country's cities, particularly the capital city of Khartoum, and that many people risk dying from avoidable causes due to a lack of access to basic medical care. According to Griffiths, efforts to assist civilians have been hampered by "massive looting" of aid supplies.

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which coordinated the shipment, an aeroplane carrying eight tonnes of urgent medical supplies had already landed in Sudan earlier on Sunday to restock hospitals that had been badly damaged by the fighting. It arrived as aid organisations warned that the humanitarian situation was getting worse and the number of civilian deaths from the widespread violence had surpassed 400.

According to a national doctors' association, more than two-thirds of hospitals in areas where fighting is ongoing are inoperable due to a lack of medical supplies, healthcare workers, water, and electricity.

According to the ICRC, the airlifted supplies, which included anaesthetics, dressings, sutures, and other surgical supplies, are sufficient to treat more than 1,000 combat casualties. The plane departed from Jordan earlier in the day and arrived in Port Sudan without incident, according to the statement.

"The hope is to get this material to some of the most critically busy hospitals in the capital" of Khartoum and other trouble spots, said Patrick Youssef, the ICRC's regional director for Africa.

According to the Sudan Doctors' Syndicate, which keeps track of deaths and injuries, 425 civilians have died and 2,091 have been injured in the past two weeks. On Saturday, the Sudanese Health Ministry reported that there had been a total of 528 fatalities, including combatants, and 4,500 injuries.

Also Read:  Australian who spit on Indonesian imam could spend more than a year in prison

All over Khartoum, some of the deadliest battles have taken place. Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, the commander of the army, is engaged in combat with Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the leader of the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary organisation.

The generals, who both had significant foreign financial support, joined forces in an October 2021 military coup that put an end to Sudan's halting attempt at democratic transition, but they have since turned against one another.

The innocent Sudanese people are being shot at. While others are trapped with diminishing supplies, tens of thousands have fled to nearby nations like Egypt and Chad. Airlifts and land convoys have been used to evacuate thousands of foreigners.

Residents hiding in their homes on Sunday reported hearing artillery fire as fighting raged in various parts of the capital. Despite numerous attempts by international mediators, there have only been brief cessations of hostilities.

Residents in Khartoum over the weekend reported that some stores were reopening and that life was gradually returning to normal as the intensity of the fighting decreased following yet another shaky ceasefire. However, terrified locals in other areas reported hearing explosions all around them and seeing fighters robbing homes.

To make sure that medical aid could reach hospitals safely, Youssef, the ICRC representative, said the organisation has been in contact with the top command of both sides.

With the news of today, he expressed his sincere hope that it would become a regular coordination mechanism that would allow other flights to land.
More medical supplies, according to Youssef, are prepared to be flown into Khartoum pending the required clearances and security guarantees.

Numerous hospitals are not functioning, and Sudan's healthcare system is on the verge of collapse. Many aid organisations had to halt operations and evacuate staff.

A second convoy sent by the US government arrived in Port Sudan on Sunday, according to State Department spokesman Matthew Miller. According to him, the US is helping its citizens and "others who are eligible" to travel to Saudi Arabia, where US personnel are stationed, to leave the country. There were no specifics about the convoy's composition or the specific assistance the US gave.

The majority of the 16,000 Americans who are currently thought to be living in Sudan are dual citizens of the US and Sudan. In a statement released on Saturday, the Defence Department said it was directing naval resources towards the coast of Sudan to assist with additional evacuations.

Britain has also declared that an additional evacuation flight will leave from Port Sudan on Monday, extending what it called the largest Western country's evacuation effort from Sudan.

Also Read:  NHS doctors stuck in Sudan claim the UK isn't providing enough assistance

British nationals who want to leave Sudan were urged by the government to arrive at the British Evacuation Handling Centre at Port Sudan International Airport prior to noon Sudan time. The flight comes after a 23-flight evacuation of 2,122 people from Wadi Saeedna, close to Khartoum.