Sudan closes airspace until end of May

On May 13, Sudan's civil aviation authority announced that it would continue to close its airspace until May 31.

In the announcement, the Sudanese government said that "evacuation and humanitarian aid flights" would be exempted from this regulation, if they had a permit issued by the relevant authority.

Sudan closed its airspace after military clashes broke out between the country's army and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in mid-April.

On the same day, Libya welcomed the signing of a Declaration of Commitment by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and RSF to protect Sudanese civilians in the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah.

In the statement, the Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation reaffirmed its interest in restoring stability in Sudan, while encouraging the SAF and RSF to comply with the commitments in the statement regarding the protection of civilians. The ministry also called for the consolidation of the agreement between the parties in Sudan with additional measures to meet urgent humanitarian needs.

Earlier, a senior Saudi diplomat confirmed that representatives of the warring parties in Sudan would resume talks on May 14, focusing on a plan to deliver humanitarian aid and withdraw troops from civilian areas. Representatives of the parties stayed in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah to start the next phase of negotiations, after agreeing on a plan to protect civilians on May 11.

Since armed conflict erupted last month, killing hundreds of people and displacing hundreds of thousands, the warring parties in Sudan have shown no signs of stopping. The conflict has crippled Sudan’s economy, choked off trade, exacerbated a humanitarian crisis and threatened to push Sudan into full-blown civil war. The United Nations says some 200,000 people in Sudan have fled to neighboring countries.

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Warring parties in Sudan pledge to protect civilians

According to Reuters, US officials said that although they have not yet agreed on a ceasefire, the rival factions in Sudan on May 12 pledged to protect civilians as well as humanitarian aid activities for the country.

Fighting in Sudan: US President warns of sanctions

On May 4, US President Joe Biden called for an “end” to the weeks-long fighting in Sudan, while warning of sanctions.

Sudanese factions agree to one-week ceasefire

Reuters reported on May 3 that in a statement, the Foreign Ministry of South Sudan - a neighboring country and a mediator for the conflict in Sudan - announced that the Sudanese army (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had agreed on a nationwide ceasefire lasting 7 days, from May 4 to 11.

US deploys disaster response team to assist Sudan

Reuters reported that on April 23, the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Samantha Power announced that the agency has deployed a team of disaster response experts to Sudan in the region to coordinate humanitarian response activities amid escalating fighting in the country.

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