Sudan Army, Rival Forces Agree On 24-Hour Truce
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
KHARTOUM (Worthy News) – The Sudanese army and rival forces battling since the weekend agreed Tuesday to a temporary, 24-hour cease-fire, Arab media report after an American diplomatic convoy was attacked.
The fighting in a nation where minority Christians have reported facing persecution occurred since Saturday.
The latest bloodshed in the already volatile Northeast African nation plunged the Sudanese capital of Khartoum and other areas of the country into deadly chaos.
At least 185 people have been killed, and more than 1,800 others have been wounded, announced United Nations Special Representative for Sudan Volker Perthes
Millions of Sudanese in the capital and other major cities have been hiding in their homes, caught in the crossfire as the two forces battle to control the resource-rich country.
Each general reportedly insisted he would crush the other.
That also impacted Western diplomats, with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying Tuesday that an American diplomatic convoy was attacked in Sudan.
US CONVOY ATTACKED
“I can confirm that yesterday we had an American diplomatic convoy that was fired on,” Blinken told reporters during a trip to Japan.
“All of our people are safe and unharmed, but this action was reckless, it was irresponsible, and, of course, unsafe. A diplomatic convoy with diplomatic plates, a U.S. flag being fired upon.”
The number of casualties was due to continue to climb with the ongoing violence, adding to pressure on Christians in the mainly Sunni Muslim nation of nearly 50 million people.
“Persecution of Christians remains at a high level in Sudan, and there are fears this will worsen amid the ongoing unrest,” warned advocacy group Open Doors.
It noted that Sudan’s government and many Muslims remain “suspicious of any other faith” and that “the government has not put real protections into place for Christians and other religious minorities.”
For example, “even with the change in official status, confiscated churches and lands have yet to be returned to their Christian owners.”
The estimated two million Christians comprise roughly 4 percent of the total population, according to Christian estimates.
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