Darfur Conflict: Two Warring Parties Sign Agreement for Ceasefire in El Geneina, Sudan

An Al-Arabiya correspondent in Sudan said on Tuesday, citing private sources, that the parties to the conflict in El Geneina, Darfur, have signed a ceasefire document.

The Darfur region, located in western Sudan, is suffering from a humanitarian and social crisis caused by violent clashes between rival local tribes in some areas and between the army and the Rapid Support Forces in other regions, which recalls the atmosphere of the bloody war that the region experienced in 2003 and resulting in thousands of deaths and the displacement of thousands of millions.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called the fighting in the Darfur region “terrible” and said: “Society is crumbling and we are seeing tribes now trying to arm themselves.”

Nearly 100 people have been killed in West Darfur since last Monday, according to the UN.

Looting, destruction and arson are also on the rise, including in camps for displaced persons, according to an Agence France Presse report from Médecins Sans Frontières’ deputy director in Sudan, Sylvain Peron.

The Sudanese Ministry of Health indicated that “tribal armed conflict” resulted in the destruction of the main hospital in El Geneina and damage to its property, vehicles and equipment.