Sudan army, rival RSF declare 'unilateral' ceasefire on first day of Eid

KHARTOUM - Sudan's army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, made a televised speech on Tuesday announcing a "unilateral" ceasefire on the first day of Eid.

"The conspiracy requires of everyone to be awake and ready to respond to the existential threats to our country, and so we call on all the young men and who can defend to not hesitate to play this role, either from where he lives or by joining the armed forces," Burhan said during the speech. 

Multiple ceasefire deals have failed to stick in the conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces that began April 15, including several brokered by Saudi Arabia and the United States at talks in Jeddah that were suspended last week.

The RSF late on Monday declared a ceasefire for Tuesday and Wednesday. Both sides said their ceasefires were "unilateral."

Artillery fire, air strikes and clashes could be heard on Tuesday in parts of Sudan's capital, residents said.

The war has brought widespread destruction and looting to Khartoum and has triggered unrest in other parts of Sudan, especially in the western region of Darfur where attacks and ethnic violence spread.

Almost 2.8 million people have been uprooted by the fighting, with more than 2.15 million internally displaced and nearly 650,000 fleeing into neighbouring countries, according to estimates from the International Organization for Migration published on Tuesday.

The UN refugee agency said that it expects the conflict to turn more than 1 million people into refugees within the next six months.