On the fourth day of a ceasefire, fighting between military and paramilitary who are vying for power in Sudan rages in Darfur on Friday, May 26, the fourth day of a ceasefire now "better respected", according to the American and Saudi mediators.

From the first minutes of this truce, after more than five weeks of war, more than 1,800 dead and more than a million displaced and refugees, residents reported to AFP fighting, air raids and artillery fire.

Probably the most violent day was Wednesday, when paramilitaries reported shooting down an army plane that said in response it had hit tanks.

On that day, there were "serious violations of the agreement" between the army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane and the paramilitaries of General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo's Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the Saudi and US mediators noted on Friday.

The ceasefire agreement provides for a "monitoring mechanism" and Washington has promised "sanctions", but so far no announcement has been made against either side.

A truce "better respected" Thursday

The mediators said they had "warned the parties against further violations" and had "urged them to better respect the truce (Thursday), which they did". But they still found "sniping in Khartoum and overflights of fighter jets".

In this context, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced that it had been able to begin a "distribution of anaesthetics, antibiotics, medicines, dressings and infusions to treat hundreds of wounded by weapons" in "seven hospitals in Khartoum".

"Maintenance teams have also been able to start work to restore telecommunications in Khartoum and elsewhere," the mediators said.

But these advances are minimal given the shortages: for more than 40 days, entire neighborhoods of Khartoum, capital of more than five million people, have been without water, electricity and communication networks.

As for hospitals in Khartoum and Darfur (west), the two areas most affected by the war, they are almost all out of use. Those that have not been bombed have no more stocks or are occupied by belligerents.

On Friday, in al-Fasher, the capital of Northern Darfur, there was "fighting with all types of weapons", according to testimonies of residents.

A matter of "life and death"

As the truce ends Monday night, no humanitarian corridor has been secured, also blocking civilians who want to leave.

As a result, the NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF) says it may be forced to suspend its activities due to looted or soon dry stocks. It needs new deliveries and visas to bring in doctors after many Sudanese practitioners fled or were attacked.

And, adds the NGO Islamic relief, "we are in a race against time" because "we must bring aid before the rainy season in June", usually synonymous with epidemics of malaria or other diseases born of stagnant water.

For the ICRC too, "it is a matter of life and death".

"With only 20% of the medical facilities in Khartoum still operational, we are facing a real collapse of the health system just when the population needs it most," said its boss in Sudan, Alfonso Verdu Perez.

"Hospitals also urgently need water and electricity, as well as minimum safety conditions for their patients and teams," he added.

The army on Friday accused the RSF of looting a children's hospital.

With AFP

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