U�s top diplomat calls for ceasefire

The EU is calling on the warring parties in Sudan to halt the violence, according
to the bloc�s top envoy.

Civilians �urgently need a ceasefire in order to be safe and allow space for
mediation,� Josep Borrell said in a tweet.

�The EU is working to persuade each side to consider humanitarian pause and to

encourage dialogue,� he said. �Protection of civilians is an obligation under
international humanitarian law.�

17 Apr 2023 - 20:01 (20:01 GMT)

EU envoy to Sudan assaulted, says EU foreign policy chief
The European Union�s ambassador to Sudan was assaulted in his �own residency�, EU
foreign policy chief Josep Borell has said in a tweet.

�This constitutes a gross violation of the Vienna Convention. Security of

diplomatic premises and staff is a primary responsibility of Sudanese authorities
and an obligation under international law,� his tweet read.

17 Apr 2023 - 19:59 (19:59 GMT)

Civilians, humanitarian workers �must never be targeted�: Islamic Relief
Islamic Relief is calling for an immediate ceasefire and for both sides to ensure
civilians and humanitarian workers are protected as they �must never be targeted�.

In a press release, the charity said that �at least four humanitarian aid workers
are among those killed and many aid agency offices have been looted, forcing the
suspension of vital humanitarian work. The violence has spread across the country,
with Islamic Relief teams reporting that the situation in the western region of
Darfur is particularly alarming.

�Shops, markets and banks are all closed, so people can�t access money or essential
supplies. In some areas food prices have tripled since Saturday as supplies have
become increasingly scarce. Hospitals are overwhelmed and reportedly running out of
oxygen, fuel and blood bags to treat the wounded, and patients have called for safe
passage to leave as the fighting spreads nearby.

�Islamic Relief is calling on all parties to respect international humanitarian law

and ensure humanitarian agencies have safe access to affected people.�

17 Apr 2023 - 19:51 (19:51 GMT)

No US evacuation plan at this time: White House
There are no plans for a United States government evacuation from Sudan at this
time but Americans should treat the volatile situation in the African country with
utmost seriousness, White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby has said.

17 Apr 2023 - 18:58 (18:58 GMT)

Diplomacy �not bearing much fruit� for ceasefire: AJ Correspondent
Al Jazeera�s James Bays reporting from the UN said various international players
are being relied on to broker a ceasefire.

�[The UN envoy on Sudan] believes pressure from others is important. The African
Union, regional grouping IGAD, Arab League, all of these bodies are talking with
various payers and in particular with the two generals, trying to get a ceasefire
in place,� Bays said.

�There�s talk of mediation missions� making their way as delegations to try to

speak to the generals to try to get that ceasefire.
�The problem with that � airspace is closed, borders are closed and it�s simply too
dangerous for them to travel at this stage. Diplomatic efforts are ongoing but
they�re not bearing much fruit this time and clearly, that�s deeply concerning for
the people of Sudan.�

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17 Apr 2023 - 18:05 (18:05 GMT)

More than 180 people killed in fighting: UN envoy
More than 180 people have been killed and another 1,800 injured in three days of
fighting between the rival factions in Sudan, the UN special representative to the
country said.

�It�s a very fluid situation so it�s very difficult to say where the balance is
shifting to,� Volker Perthes added of the violence between the army and
paramilitary forces led by rival generals.

17 Apr 2023 - 18:02 (18:02 GMT)

UN envoy: Two sides don�t seem to want immediate peace mediation
The UN envoy on Sudan has said the army and paramilitary force were �not giving the
impression that they want mediation for a peace between them� immediately.

�The two sides who are fighting are not giving the impression that they want
mediation for a peace between them right away,� Volker Perthes said while speaking
to reporters in New York via video.

17 Apr 2023 - 17:56 (17:56 GMT)

Efforts continue for humanitarian pauses: UN envoy
The UN envoy on Sudan has said it will continue efforts for further humanitarian
pauses in the fighting. If that succeeds, the UN will aim for a �more structured
ceasefire�.

He added that leaders of warring parties have been reacting �positively� to his
phone calls.

The envoy said he cannot assess who has the upper hand in the fighting as the
situation is fluid.

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17 Apr 2023 - 17:49 (17:49 GMT)
White House calls for immediate Sudan ceasefire
The White House has called for an immediate ceasefire to fighting and said US
officials were in touch with the military leaders.

�We deplore the escalating violence out of Khartoum and elsewhere in Sudan. We call
for an immediate ceasefire without conditions between the Sudanese Armed Forces
(SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF),� said a spokesperson for the White House
National Security Council.

17 Apr 2023 - 17:16 (17:16 GMT)

No sense of security in Khartoum: Resident
A Khartoum resident has said there are worries about the security of businesses in
the Sudanese capital.
�We�re scared our store will be looted because there�s no sense of security,�
Abdalsalam Yassin, 33, told the Reuters news agency.

The shopkeeper added that he had bought extra stock ahead of the coming Eid al-Fitr
Holiday.

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17 Apr 2023 - 16:49 (16:49 GMT)

Russian mercenaries in Sudan: What�s Wagner Group�s role?
After battles broke out in Sudan between the army and the paramilitary Rapid
Support Forces, questions have arisen over the involvement of the Wagner Group, a
Russian mercenary organisation that has been active in the country for years.

Here is what you need to know about the group and its involvement in the African
country.

Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin leaves a cemetery

before the funeral of Russian military blogger Maxim Fomin widely known by the name
of Vladlen Tatarsky
Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin (M) walking with
bodyguards [File: Yulia Morozova/Reuters]
17 Apr 2023 - 16:34 (16:34 GMT)
Army chief accuses RSF of leading �attempted coup�
Al-Burhan has accused the RSF of leading �an attempted coup and rebellion against
the state�.

The army chief told CNN that Dagalo, the RSF commander, had �mutinied� against the
Sudanese state and if captured would be tried in a court of law.

Earlier, the Sudanese foreign ministry said in a statement that al-Burhan had
declared the RSF a rebel entity that was fighting the state and ordered its
dissolution.

Al-Burhan and Dagalo � two former allies who jointly orchestrated an October 2021
military coup that halted Sudan�s transition to democratic rule � have traded blame
for starting Saturday�s fighting.

Burhan - Hemedti
Sudan�s army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (L) and Rapid Support Forces
commander General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo [File: Ashraf Shazly/AFP]
17 Apr 2023 - 16:22 (16:22 GMT)
Low expectations as UN Security Council set to meet
The UN Security Council is set to meet in the next hour behind closed doors to
discuss the Sudan situation.

Members of the 15-member body have already issued a statement calling for an
immediate end of the hostilities and a return to dialogue.

Reporting from the UN headquarters in New York, Al Jazeera�s diplomatic editor

James Bays said it �is really not clear� what else the Security Council could do.

�Even getting that statement out, I�m told, took a lot of negotiation and there was
arguing over some of the words,� Bays said.

The council will hear about the situation on the ground from UN Special
Representative Volker Perthes, who is in Khartoum. Perthes is then expected to
brief reporters in New York by video link.
17 Apr 2023 - 16:22 (16:22 GMT)
Armed groups loot medical supplies from Save the Children: Organisation
Looters have stolen medical supplies for children as well as a refrigerator,
laptops and cars in a raid on Save the Children�s offices in Darfur, the child
rights group has said in a press statement.

It added that the association has temporarily suspended most of its operations
across Sudan due to the violence, �putting food, clean water, and other lifesaving
aid out of reach for thousands�.

The aid group said it is particularly struggling to deliver its medical services in
health facilities across North Darfur due to access and looting concerns but is
operating as much as possible where it is safe to do so.

17 Apr 2023 - 16:04 (16:04 GMT)

France expresses �grave concern�, urges de-escalation
France has reiterated �its grave concern� regarding the fighting in Sudan and
expressed its support for regional and international efforts to resolve the crisis.

The French foreign ministry called on the warring sides �to stop fighting; agree to
a truce in order to ensure the safety of civilians and aid workers; allow safe and
unhindered humanitarian access; and work on de-escalating the conflict in order to
reach a lasting ceasefire�.

The ministry said in a statement that �only by returning to an inclusive political

process that leads to the appointment of a civilian transition government and
general elections that a lasting solution to this crisis can be found�.

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17 Apr 2023 - 15:54 (15:54 GMT)

People running out of drinking water: AJ Correspondent
Al Jazeera�s Hiba Morgan reporting from Khartoum has said that as �people were not
expecting this fighting to begin with�, they did not store extra food and water at
home.

�Because of water and electricity facilities being hit due to the fighting, there
are power outages and water cuts as well,� Morgan said.

�Many people say that they haven�t had electricity or running water for three days
and they�re running out of drinking water. For people trapped in public
institutions, hospitals and schools, there is no food because again, they were not
expecting this fighting to happen.

�Fighting has happened in many parts of the country over the past 60 years, but
it�s never reached the capital Khartoum. Many people don�t know when the air
strikes will hit, because there are no sirens to warn of incoming air strikes.
There are no safety shelters around the capital for people to run to, once the air
strikes hit or if heavy artillery hits.�

17 Apr 2023 - 15:19 (15:19 GMT)

Under lockdown for past three days: AJ correspondent
Al Jazeera�s Morgan has said she and her colleagues have not been able to go
outside for the past three days as �it�s not clear which forces are in control of
which locations exactly.

�Both sides are very hard to negotiate. We�re talking about soldiers here, people
on the ground � not senior commanders. Even if we do manage to talk to their
leadership to understand what�s going on from their perspective, those on the
ground don�t necessarily agree with us moving around, so we have been under
lockdown for the past three days,� Morgan said.

�It�s not only here where we are that we are facing lockdown, other parts of the
capital as well � residents say that they can�t leave their homes because of the
insecurity that they�re facing.

�People have reported that the RSF have been entering homes, looting properties and
assaulting women and residents of homes.�

17 Apr 2023 - 14:52 (14:52 GMT)

Mediation through carrots and sticks: Analyst
Alan Boswell of the International Crisis Group told Al Jazeera that there are
different forms of mediation, but �usually it ends up being a case of carrots and
sticks�.

�Western countries tend to lean heavily on sanctions, threats � what are called
sticks � to try to twist arms into ending conflict,� Boswell said.

�In some cases like Sudan, that�s difficult because it�s not clear that these
actors would respond much at all to US sanctions, for instance.

�But there are other forms of carrots and sticks, such as for some of these guys
implying that if they don�t do what others want, these actors could find someone
else to back in the future, and that is a form of leverage either implicit or
explicit. But you�re looking for points of leverage.�

17 Apr 2023 - 14:24 (14:24 GMT)

UN chief calls on rival leaders to immediately cease hostilities
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has strongly condemned the outbreak of
fighting in Sudan, appealing to the leaders of both sides to terminate hostilities
and engage in dialogue.

Before the UN Security Council discusses the developments in Sudan later in the
day, the secretary general called on parties with influence to use it to end the
violence and restore order in the country.

Speaking at the opening of the Forum on Financing for Development in New York,
Guterres warned �any further escalation� of the conflict �could be devastating for
the country and the region�.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks to reporters during a news

conference, in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, March.1, 2023.
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres [File: Hadi Mizban/AP]
17 Apr 2023 - 14:18 (14:18 GMT)
Group of RSF fighters surrenders in Khartoum, army says
A group of RSF fighters have handed themselves over to the Sudanese armed forces,
the military says in a post on Facebook.

�[There is] another group of [RSF] prisoners in Khartoum from the fighting near the
armed forces HQ and the airport,� it said.

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SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES