Khartoum (EFE) the capital complain about the closure of banks and the increase in prices.
The aerial bombardment was concentrated in the east of the Nile and the south of Um Durman, neighboring Khartoum, where the FAR is positioned in an attempt by the Army to get them to withdraw from their positions, witnesses told EFE today, adding during this early morning Intermittent shots with heavy weapons and bombardments have been heard in the vicinity of the Presidential Palace, one of the main scenes of the conflict that began on April 15.
Despite these clashes, a tense calm prevails in other large areas of the capital and life has begun to return to some semblance of normalcy in some neighborhoods of the capital.
Some residents complained to EFE about the continuous closure of banks and ATMs, as well as the lack of cash to buy goods and the errors that bank applications give.
Transport prices also increased due to fuel shortages due to the closure of most service stations for the third week.
Electricity, water and telecommunications infrastructure, as well as businesses and homes, have been damaged, looted or destroyed by hostilities.
“In some areas, the price of basic goods – such as bottled water, staple foods, and fuel for cooking and cars – has increased by between 40% and 60%,” according to the UN.
Today the first negotiations are expected to begin in the coastal city of Jeddah with delegations from the two sides in conflict with the aim of paving the way to establish a permanent ceasefire in the African country.
At least 551 people and almost 5,000 people have been injured by the conflict in Sudan, which has plunged into a humanitarian catastrophe, according to the UN.
Civil forces welcome the start of dialogue between the Sudanese parties
The civilian component of the democratic process in Sudan welcomed the start of talks that will take place today in the Saudi city of Jeddah between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (FAR) paramilitary group, the two military rivals that have faced each other since three weeks ago in the African country.
“The signatory civil forces of the framework agreement welcome the arrival of the representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support support to the city of Jeddah to begin talks within the framework of the American-Saudi initiative, which we hope will stop the war and address the humanitarian situation in a way that paves the way for a lasting peaceful political solution,” they said in a statement.
A first step to stop the collapse of the country
These discussions, the first to take place since the start of hostilities, constitute “a first step to stop the rapid collapse that our country has witnessed since the outbreak of war on April 15,” they said, adding that they hope the two sides make “courageous decisions” that result in ending “the suffering our people are living in as a result of this war.”
Both military leaders who are facing each other today were the architects of a coup in 2021 against the civilian government in Sudan in the framework of the democratic transition after the overthrow of thirty decades of power of the dictator Omar al Bashir.
Saudi Arabia and the US welcome negotiations
Both Saudi Arabia and the United States welcomed the start of these preliminary negotiations this morning with the aim of reaching a permanent ceasefire agreement.
Today is the third day of a week-long truce in Sudan, sponsored by its neighbor and main mediator, South Sudan, which asked to take advantage of these seven days to hold talks.
However, this truce, like previous humanitarian pauses agreed upon since the start of hostilities, have not been honored.