Fighting has persisted in Sudan despite a week-long fragile ceasefire brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia last week.

A Qatari plane arrived at Port Sudan Airport in Sudan carrying 50 tonnes of food that were donated by the Qatar Fund for Development and Qatar Charity on Monday.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said 199 residents of Qatar who were living in Sudan were evacuated by the Qatari aircraft that took off from the Port Sudan Airport, bringing the total number of those evacuated to 1,620.

“This assistance comes within the framework of the support offered by the State of Qatar to the fraternal people of Sudan and its full support for their steadfastness in facing the difficult conditions they live in due to the continuation of fighting,” a statement read.

Qatar has provided tonnes of aid to Sudan since violence erupted on 15 April between the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese army.

The conflict, the deadliest to hit Sudan in years, has so far killed at least 730 civilians and forced more than one million to flee to neighbouring countries or safer areas like Port Sudan.

Also on Monday, an envoy of Sudan’s army General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan arrived in Qatar to hold meetings with officials.

Dafaallah Al-Haj, Burhan’s representative, met with Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi in the Qatari capital to discuss bilateral cooperation as well as the latest developments in Sudan.

However, Al Quds Al Araby on Saturday suggested Haj would be carrying a message from the military’s leadership. The report said Haj would “review” Burhan’s view of the current events and possible exit “scenarios” over its turmoil.

Sudan has been grappling with a fragile path to democratic rule since the military’s overthrow of long-time ruler Omar Al Bashir during a revolution that erupted in 2019.

In August 2019, four months into the Sudanese uprising, military leaders signed a power-sharing agreement with the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) to form a Sovereign Council.  The declaration previously set late 2023 as the deadline for a vote to elect a civilian administration.

In 2020, the Gulf state participated in the final signing ceremony of the peace agreement between the transitional government of Sudan and the Sudanese Armed Movements.

In December last year, Sudanese political parties signed a deal with the military that aimed to pave the way for a two-year civilian transition period.

Since the violence broke out, Qatar responded to the escalations by calling on all sides to “immediately” halt the violence and urged for dialogue to achieve peace and stability.

Escalating violence in Sudan

Meanwhile, fighting has continued in Sudan despite a week-long fragile ceasefire brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia last week.

Riyadh and Washington called for the extension of the ceasefire on Sunday, hours before its expiry on Monday.

“There were violations by both parties that significantly impeded delivery of humanitarian assistance and restoration of essential services,” Saudi Arabia and the US said in a joint statement.

While the truce aimed to provide a safe passage of aid, the UN said organisations have faced obstacles related to approvals and security guarantees.

Burhan formally sacked last week his deputy and RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti.

Hemedti was the leader of the Janjaweed militia during the Darfur genocide in 2003, in which the group carried out war crimes in cooperation with former president Bashir.

Speaking at the Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia on 19 May, Haj said that “the army is ready to pardon those who laid down their arms.”

“This war was imposed on us,” Burhan’s envoy said at the time.