Explosions have been heard near the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, a day after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) indicated its willingness to agree to a humanitarian ceasefire.
Residents in Khartoum, which is dominated by military control, reported being woken during the night by the sounds of drones and explosions, with blasts occurring close to a military base and a power station in the early hours of Friday morning.
While the RSF has not yet responded to these incidents, the military-led government in Sudan expressed skepticism towards the truce, citing the RSF's prior disregard for ceasefire agreements.
The ongoing civil war that erupted in April 2023 has claimed over 150,000 lives and displaced 12 million people, exacerbated by recent reports from the UN indicating that famine conditions are spreading across conflict zones.
On the same day the drone activity was reported, the RSF was said to have agreed to a truce proposed by the US, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt meant to pave the way for a sustainable ceasefire and a transition to civilian rule. However, doubts remain regarding the RSF's commitment, especially given that their announced ceasefire followed their seizure of el-Fasher, a city crucial to their control over the wider Darfur region.
UN experts have cited credible accusations of military support to the RSF from the UAE, which the Gulf nation has denied. As the RSF gains strategic ground, their true motives in truce discussions continue to be called into question amidst a backdrop of severe human rights abuses and widespread violence.
