Sudanese army general, Shams El Din Kabbashi said the army had agreed on a 24-hour ceasefire, starting at 6pm (1600 GMT) on Tuesday, following days of clashes between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
He also told Saudi broadcaster Al-Arabiya that two neighbouring countries are trying to provide aid to the RSF, without naming the countries.
It comes after Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, said earlier on Tuesday the RSF reaffirms its approval of a 24-hour ceasefire to ensure the safe passage of civilians and the evacuation of the wounded.
Fighting between Sudan’s army and the RSF that erupted on Saturday has killed at least 185 people and injured more than 1,800, UN envoy Volker Perthes said on Monday.
Hemedti accused the Sudanese Armed Forces of failing to “honour the ceasefire, bombing densely populated areas from the air and endangering civilian lives”.
But Sudan’s army at the time denied knowledge of any 24-hour ceasefire.
“We have entered a critical phase and our efforts are focused on achieving goals on an operational level,” the army said in a statement following days of clashes with the RSF.
Gunfire echoed across Sudan’s capital for a fourth day on Tuesday, accompanied by the sound of warplanes and explosions, a Reuters reporter said.
Residents in Khartoum’s twin city of Omdurman, on the other side of the Nile, also reported airstrikes that shook buildings and anti-aircraft fire.
Blinken, the American secretary of state, said a US diplomatic convoy came under fire on Monday in an apparent attack by fighters associated with the RSF, adding that all those in the convoy were safe.
He called the incident “reckless” and said any attacks or threats to US diplomats were unacceptable.
Blinken, speaking in Japan, said he had telephoned both Hemedti and Sudan’s army chief General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, appealing for a 24-hour ceasefire “to allow the Sudanese to be safely reunited with families” and to provide them with relief.
The RSF’s Hemedti, whose whereabouts have not been disclosed since fighting began, said he had “discussed pressing issues” with Blinken during their call and more talks were planned.
