Sudan's warring parties accept 3-day extension of truce

KHARTOUM - The Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Thursday agreed to extend the existing cease-fire, which expires at midnight Thursday, for three more days.

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the army's general commander, gave initial approval for the extension of the cease-fire late on Wednesday for another 72 hours, the army said in a statement, reiterating it unilaterally approved the truce extension.

In response, the RSF said in a statement on Twitter that it agreed "to extend the humanitarian truce for an additional 72 hours" starting at midnight Thursday.

"We reaffirm our commitment to the terms of the humanitarian truce, considering the circumstances of the Sudanese people and to facilitate the evacuation of diplomatic and foreign nationals," the statement said.

The current truce failed to stop fighting in the Sudanese capital Khartoum and other regions, but it created a lull for foreign countries to evacuate their diplomats and citizens from the conflict-ravaged country.

The armed conflict that broke out between the Sudanese army and the RSF on April 15 has killed at least 459 people and wounded over 4,000 so far, according to the World Health Organization.