The weeklong ceasefire in Sudan, aimed at facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid, had a tumultuous start on Monday evening.

Witnesses in the capital city of Khartoum reported the presence of fighter jets and ongoing clashes in certain areas.

The United States and Saudi Arabia announced the agreement, designed to halt six weeks of fighting, with the ceasefire scheduled to take effect at 9:45 pm (7:45 pm BST). International powers had exerted pressure on the army and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces to sign the deal, as previous attempts had failed.

Witnesses noted heavy bombardments and thick black smoke rising into the sky in east Khartoum, while reports of gunfire persisted in the twin cities of Omdurman and Bahri, adjacent to Khartoum. Prior to the commencement of the ceasefire, the army conducted intense airstrikes against its paramilitary rivals across the capital.

Despite previous ceasefires being breached, this agreement marked the first formal agreement achieved through negotiations. The conflict has involved the Sudanese army, led by Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, led by Gen Burhan's former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. The violence has resulted in over a million people being displaced, with millions more trapped and facing limited access to essential resources such as water, electricity, and medicine.

The ceasefire deal, brokered by the United States in talks held in Jeddah, includes a monitoring mechanism that involves representatives from the army, the RSF, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. This is the first time such a mechanism has been included in the agreement.

Since October 2021, Sudan has lacked a functioning government following the military's dismissal of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's transitional government and the subsequent declaration of a state of emergency. This action was widely criticized by political forces as a "coup."

The transitional period in Sudan began in August 2019 after the removal of President Omar al-Bashir and was initially scheduled to conclude with elections in early 2024. (ILKHA)