Aid Agencies Sound Alarm as Fighting Breaks Out in Sudan Despite Cease-Fire Efforts

A new three-day truce brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia was broken Tuesday by fighting in the capital city of Khartoum and other battle zones in Sudan, forcing Sudanese and foreigners to flee. Short cease-fires the past week have either failed outright or brought only intermittent lulls in the fighting that has raged between forces loyal to the country’s two top generals since April 15. The lulls have been enough for dramatic evacuations of hundreds of foreigners by air and land, but they have brought no relief to millions of Sudanese caught in the crossfire. Multiple aid agencies have had to suspend operations and dozens of hospitals have been forced to shut down. With supply lines running out, there is mounting fear of increased criminality. The UN refugee agency said it was gearing up for potentially tens of thousands of people fleeing into neighboring countries. Meanwhile, calls for negotiations to end the crisis in Africa’s third-largest nation have been ignored.