The warring sides in the Sudan conflict bowed to international pressure and said Sunday that the cease-fire agreement that was set to expire at midnight would be extended for another 72 hours.
A truce was already in place but was widely ignored by both sides. It was established by the two warring factions to allow people safe passage and to open up a means for the country to receive humanitarian aid, but the violence continued. Each side blamed the other for the infractions.
Britain’s government announced Sunday that it was offering an additional evacuation flight for its nationals in war-torn Sudan.
A late Saturday flight out of Wadi Seidna Airport had been set to be the last flight out of the African country for British nationals. Sunday, however, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office announced a flight leaving Monday from the airport in Port Sudan would instead be the last one.
The conflict between Sudan’s military and a paramilitary group broke out on April 15. Tens of thousands have fled the country because of the intense fighting between the military forces headed up by General Abdel Fattah Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group led by General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo. Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands have been injured since the fighting started.
Fighting has been particularly intense in Khartoum, the capital.
Finding basic necessities, like food and water, has become almost impossible. The medical workers who remain in the country do not have proper supplies. The first shipment of medical supplies has arrived in Khartoum, however, workers have not been able to deliver it to hospitals because of the fighting.
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Martin Griffiths, the U.N. humanitarian chief, said in a statement, “The scale and speed of what is unfolding in Sudan is unprecedented.”