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WASHINGTON (CN) — Warring factions in Sudan have agreed to a three-day ceasefire over the weekend following the death of an American amid the intense fighting.
The Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces announced they would abide by the ceasefire through Sunday for Eid al-Fitr, according to the State Department. The holiday marks the end of Ramadan.
The State Department also confirmed Friday that one U.S. citizen has been killed, but did not provide reporters any additional information about the person.
The Pentagon announced Thursday that troops were being moved to northeast Africa as the U.S. considers an operation to remove diplomats and citizens. However, the White House and State Department reiterated on Friday that Americans should not expect an evacuation from the country.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday that the evacuation from Afghanistan in 2021 was “not the norm.”
“It is not our standard procedure to evacuate American citizens living abroad,” she said at a press briefing.
Deputy State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said officials have been in contact with “several hundred” U.S. citizens who are in Sudan.
Violence broke out last weekend despite efforts by the U.S. and other governments to broker peace between the Sudanese military, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, led by Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan.
The conflict traces back to 2019, when a popular uprising led to a military coup that toppled the regime of President Omar al-Bashir after 30 years in power.
Although the military and paramilitary ousted civilian leaders from the transitional government two years later, the country was expected to shift to democracy in the coming months under a deal brokered by Western governments. However, a power struggle between al-Burhan and Hamdan eventually broke out into the current armed conflict.
In a televised appearance Friday, al-Burhan pledged the military would prevail in the conflict and secure the vast African nation’s “safe transition to civilian rule.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with the generals on Thursday and “urged them both to commit to and abide by a ceasefire during this period.”
“It is clear, however, that fighting is continuing and there is serious mistrust between the two forces,” Blinken said in a press release. “The priority for all must be to end the suffering of civilians.”
Blinken called for negotiations to address humanitarian assistance, civilian protection and removing forces from urban areas.
“We remind both belligerents of their obligations under international humanitarian law, including their obligation to respect all rights of civilians,” he said. “The international community remains ready to support a process to bring an end to this fighting and a start to civilian government.”
Patel, the State Department spokesperson, said Friday, “This violence is harmful to civilians and it really jeopardizes the will, the aspirations and the progress that the Sudanese people are hoping to see through some kind of transition to democracy.”
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