Sudan updates: Fighting continues in Khartoum despite truce

The United Kingdom is putting troops and aircraft on standby at an overseas base, in case they are needed to evacuate embassy staff and UK citizens from Sudan, according to broadcaster Sky News.

Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan, reporting from Khartoum, says residents around the capital reported continuous artillery strikes.

“Residents say there is intense fighting and direct confrontations between the army and the RSF in the southern part of the capital,” she said.

Morgan said despite a fifth attempt at a ceasefire, residents in various parts of the country say the clashes continue and they believe the truce will not hold.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken with Sudan’s army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, according to a statement.

Blinken said he welcomes the announcement of a three-day Eid al-Fitr ceasefire.

US citizens in Sudan should have no expectation of a US-government coordinated evacuation from the country, deputy State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel has said, amid heavy firing heard in the capital.

Patel told reporters at a press briefing that given the closure of Khartoum’s airport and the uncertain security situation in the country, citizens there should make their own arrangements to stay safe.

Heavy firing continues in Khartoum even after the army declared a three-day truce, and the source of the firing was unclear, according to a witness speaking to Reuters news agency.

There were also air raids heard from time to time, the Reuters witness added.

Sudan’s army says it has agreed to a three-day truce starting to enable the Sudanese people to celebrate the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr.

“The armed forces hope that the rebels will abide by all the requirements of the truce and stop any military moves that would obstruct it,” the army said in a statement.

Earlier on Friday the Rapid Support Forces agreed to the 72-hour truce.

No decision has been made to evacuate US diplomatic personnel from Sudan but the United States is preparing for such an eventuality if it becomes necessary, the White House has said.

John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, said all US citizens in Sudan must “make their own arrangements to stay safe” as violence rocks the country.

He said President Joe Biden had approved a plan earlier this week to move US forces nearby in case they are needed to help evacuate US diplomats.

“We are simply pre-positioning some additional capabilities nearby in case that they’re needed. But I want to stress again … there’s been no decision to move forward with any kind of an evacuation at this time,” Kirby told reporters.

Paul Dillon of the International Organization of Migration says fighting between the warring sides in Sudan has intensified in El-Obeid, where an IOM employee was killed earlier on Friday.

“Our staff member, his wife and their newborn child got into a private vehicle and headed south to relocate to a safer place,” Dillon told Al Jazeera from Geneva.

“About 50km outside of El-Obeid, they found themselves in crossfire between two factions,” he said.

“Our staff member was critically injured but he managed to drive the car some distance away to a health clinic. Unfortunately, he died of his injuries,” Dillon added.

The US military is preparing as many options as possible before a possible evacuation from the US embassy in Sudan but no decisions have been made, according to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

“We’ve deployed some forces into theatre to ensure that we provide as many options as possible if we are called on to do something. And we haven’t been called on to do anything yet,” Austin told a news conference at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. “No decision on anything has been made.”

Switzerland says it will examine ways to evacuate Swiss nationals from Sudan and a portion of its embassy staff during fighting between the army and a paramilitary force.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said about 100 Swiss nationals are registered in Sudan while others are thought to be visiting the Red Sea area as tourists.

Bern is liaising with other countries for a possible joint evacuation but stressed that a series of conditions would have to be met, including guarantees of safe airspace.

Sweden will evacuate its embassy staff and their families from Sudan as soon as the situation makes that possible, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has said, adding that Sweden was coordinating its policy with other countries.

“The decisions we have taken mean that, it will be possible to evacuate … embassy personnel and their relatives if and when the security situation allows,” Kristersson told reporters.

A humanitarian worker has been killed in the crossfire, according to a statement by the International Organization for Migration.

“I am deeply saddened by the death of our humanitarian colleague, and join his wife and newborn child, and our team in Sudan in mourning,” said Director-General Antonio Vitorino.

The worker was travelling with his family near El-Obeid, a town southwest of Khartoum, when he was shot, the IOM said.

Al Jazeera’s Haitham Uweit in Khartoum says battles are raging in many parts of the capital, specifically those east of the Blue Nile.

The area has a major road called the Qawmy (National) Road, which connects Khartoum to the states of Gezira, Al Qadarif, Kassala and the city of Port Sudan, Uweit noted.

“The road is a supply line for the army, which explains why confrontations have intensified in this area,” he said.

“There is also talk about battles raging in al-Bagair, which lies on the western side of the Blue Nile. Al-Bagair hosts most of the factories in Khartoum.”

The country director and representative for the UN World Food Programme in Chad says more support is needed from international donors as refugees pour in from neighbouring Sudan.

“It’s really becoming a big challenge,” Pierre Honnorat told Al Jazeera from the capital, N’Djamena.

“We have 600,000 refugees overall in Sudan,” he said. “… On top of that, we already have 1.8 million Chadian people suffering from severe food insecurity. We really need support. We can’t continue like this.”

The German armed forces, or Bundeswehr, are beginning preparations for a renewed attempt to evacuate German citizens from Sudan, a Ministry of Defence spokesman told the dpa news agency.

“The Bundeswehr is preparing options for the repatriation of German citizens from Sudan and other people to be protected,” he said.

“In this context, the protection of our citizens in Sudan is the priority,” he said.

Political analyst Majdy Abdelaziz says the army has the upper hand and the RSF is “clinging” to the truce to try to recover from the fighting.

“All indicators inform us the battle is almost over,” he told Al Jazeera. “The people are siding with the army. They feel that what they aspire to – stability and the end of war – can only be realised by supporting the army.”

“There is a sense of immense relief among people about restoring law and order in Khartoum and scrubbing it clean of insurgent forces,” he added.

Spanish military aircraft are on standby and ready to evacuate some 60 Spanish nationals and about 20 civilians from other countries from Sudan’s capital Khartoum amid armed conflict there, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has said.

“Every day, combats are increasing in intensity and that is why it hasn’t been possible to organise an evacuation yet,” Albares told a joint news conference with his German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock, in Berlin.

Activist Duaa Tariq, speaking from Khartoum, says it has been a struggle to secure enough food and water amid the fighting.

“We don’t have running water for two days now. We’re living on water buckets,” Tariq told Al Jazeera.

“We are not bathing or showering. We’re not using too many dishes in the kitchen. We only use one plate and one cup for water.”

Moreover, Tariq said her family has been having “very small meals” in order to preserve food, not knowing “how long it [this fighting] will last”.

Hamsa Alfakih of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) says a major issue facing Khartoum residents was a lack of petroleum.

“All gas stations are closed, and people have resorted to selling petroleum on the black market at exorbitant prices,” he told Al Jazeera from Khartoum.

“All products have become increasingly expensive, and if this continues, people will struggle to provide themselves with life necessities,” the education assistant at NRC said.