More than one lakh people fled Sudan since heavy fighting broke out between rival forces: UN

More than one lakh people have fled Sudan since heavy fighting broke out between rival forces on 15th April, the UN has said. A further 3.34 lakh people have been displaced within Sudan. UN's Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan Abdou Dieng said that more than two weeks of devastating fighting risked turning the country's humanitarian crisis into a full blown catastrophe.

Fighting is continuing in the capital, Khartoum, between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), despite a ceasefire due to be in force. Diplomatic efforts are being stepped up to try and get the warring



parties to the negotiating table. In a statement, South Sudan's foreign ministry said, the army and RSF have agreed in principle to a new seven-day truce from tomorrow, and have promised to send representatives to talks.

The statement came a day after the UN special envoy to Sudan, Volker Perthes, told reporters that the two sides have agreed to negotiate a stable and reliable ceasefire. Perthes added that Saudi Arabia is a potential venue for the talks. If talks take place, it would be the first meeting between the two sides since the conflict started.