Conflicting groups in Sudan agree to three-day truce extension
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Khartoum: The current cease-fire between Sudan's warring factions, which ended at midnight on Thursday, will now last three extra days thanks to an agreement between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The Army reiterated that it unilaterally granted the cease-fire extension in a statement released on Thursday. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the Army's general commander, gave initial clearance for the extension of the cease-fire late on Wednesday for an additional 72 hours.
In response, the RSF said in a statement on Twitter that it agreed "to extend the humanitarian truce for an additional 72 hours" starting at midnight Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.
"We reaffirm our commitment to the terms of the humanitarian truce, considering the circumstances of the Sudanese people and to facilitate the evacuation of diplomatic and foreign nationals," the statement added.
The current truce failed to stop fighting in the Sudanese capital Khartoum and other regions, but it created a lull for foreign countries to evacuate their diplomats and citizens from the conflict-ravaged country.
The armed conflict that broke out between the Sudanese Army and the RSF on April 15 has killed at least 459 people and wounded more than 4,000 so far, according to the WHO.
With inputs from IANS