Ashraf AboArafe
A statement was issued by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America, which reads as follows:
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America, in their capacity as facilitators, note the marked improvement in respect of the Short-Term Ceasefire and Humanitarian Arrangements Agreement in Sudan on 25 May. Apart from monitoring the use of military aircraft and sporadic gunfire in Khartoum, the situation in Khartoum has improved since May 24, when the Ceasefire Monitoring Mechanism discovered grave violations of the agreement, including the reported use of artillery, military aircraft and drones, and credible reports of airstrikes. And the continuation of fighting in the heart of the industrial area of Khartoum, and the clashes in Zalingei in the state of Central Darfur.
The facilitators reached out to the parties following the grave violations on 24 May, highlighting that the renewed fighting has endangered civilians, hampered humanitarian assistance, and hampered the restoration of basic services, undermining key objectives of the ceasefire. On May 25, the facilitators of the agreement warned the two sides of further violations and appealed to them to improve respect for the ceasefire agreement, which both sides have already implemented. Today, humanitarian actors delivered urgently needed medical supplies to several locations in Sudan. In addition, maintenance teams have been able to carry out repairs to begin restoring communications services in Khartoum and other areas of Sudan.
The facilitators urge the parties to build on the positive progress made today and uphold their commitments for the remainder of the short-term ceasefire agreement.
The two parties must put the needs of the Sudanese people first and abide by the terms they agreed upon several days ago.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America call on the parties to abide by their obligations under the Ceasefire Agreement, and to take the necessary steps to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance and the restoration of basic services.
