On Saturday, Sudan’s warring factions agreed to a new 72-hour ceasefire effective Sunday morning.

Qatar delivered a 35-tonne convoy of food and aid to Sudan in an effort to provide assistance to those displaced and affected by the ongoing conflict, the deadliest the country has witnessed in years.

In a statement on Saturday, Qatar Charity announced the delivery of the latest batch of aid in cooperation with the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) to the Al Jazirah state.

The entity distributed more than 1,000 food baskets including one that contained 12 items of basic supplies.

“The convoy was received by the General Director of the Ministry of Social Welfare in the state of Al Jazirah and the Minister in charge, Mr. Fateh Al-Rahman Muhammad Taha, at the headquarters of the air base in Wad Medani, praised the continuous relief efforts of the State of Qatar,” the statement read.

Taha explained that Al Jazirah “was the crossing and the safe haven for citizens” in Khartoum. He noted that the number of internally displaced who fled there from the violence have exceeded the original population of the state itself.

Qatar Charity said its latest delivery is under “a series of medical and nutritional interventions for the benefit of those affected by the war.” The areas benefiting from the aid include the capital Khartoum, Red Sea, Al Jazirah and Northern State.

The Gulf state has been sending urgent assistance to Sudan since the outbreak of the conflict on 15 April. Violence erupted following a period of simmering tensions between the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese army. 

Qatar is set to co-chair a high-level pledging conference for humanitarian support to Sudan and the region in Geneva, on Monday. 

In a statement last week, Qatar’s foreign ministry said its co-chairmanship of the meeting “comes in the context of its continued support for the brotherly Sudanese people.”

“Since the beginning of the fighting in Sudan, the State of Qatar has provided 266 tonnes of food and medical aid, via an air bridge, and evacuated 1,784 Qatari residency holders,” the statement added.

The statement renewed Doha’s calls for an immediate end to fighting in Khartoum and “sparing civilians” of its consequences.

Fragile ceasefire

On Saturday, Sudan’s warring factions agreed to a new 72-hour ceasefire effective Sunday morning.

The truce was brokered by Saudi Arabia and the United States, both of which have led mediation efforts since the beginning of the violence.

“The parties agreed that during the ceasefire they will refrain from prohibited movements, attacks, use of military aircraft or drones, artillery strikes, reinforcement of positions and resupply of forces, and will refrain from seeking military advantage during the ceasefire,” the mediators said in a statement.

The statement added that the facilitators called on all sides to adhere to the ceasefire in light of the upcoming donors conference.

“Should the parties fail to observe the 72-hour ceasefire, facilitators will be compelled to consider adjourning the Jeddah talks,” the statement read.

Last week, reports pointed to a growing frustration from Washington towards the warring factions in Sudan, two months into the violence.

“We think we’ve given them every shot,” AFP quoted a senior State Department official saying on the condition of anonymity.

The official added that the sides “are clearly not taking advantage of the format” they were given, adding that the US will provide a recommended approach “in the next few days”.

“I think a real question that we’re facing is how much more mileage do we think you might get out of Jeddah on that step-by-step approach?” another US official told the French news agency, referring to the meetings in Saudi Arabia.

To date, the death toll has reached at least 1,800 with more than 1.5 million people displaced, as per figures by the International Rescue Committee (IRC).

Sudan already hosts one of the largest displaced populations in Africa.

According to the IRC, 25 million people are estimated to be in need of urgent humanitarian aid and protection.