Khartoum, 27 April 2023 (dpa/MIA) - The UN special envoy to Sudan, Volker Perthes, has announced talks on extending the ceasefire for another 72 hours.

Perthes told the BBC on Thursday that Sudanese forces had agreed to negotiations in the South Sudanese capital Juba.

Although the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have yet to respond, Perthes said he was confident the RSF would take part in the negotiations.

There were only sporadic exchanges of gunfire in Khartoum on Thursday morning, a dpa journalist in the capital reported. In the morning, however, there were again airstrikes, according to media reports. The supply situation is still considered tense.

The north-east Africa country's army and the RSF, once allied with it, have been fighting for power for about 10 days.

A fragile 72-hour ceasefire expires on Thursday evening. The renewed negotiation initiative was organized by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Eastern Africa.

The organization's executive secretary Workneh Gebeyehu said on Thursday that he was "confident that with the assembly’s and international community’s continued efforts and dedication will help stop the fighting and de-escalate the situation."

The presidents from South Sudan, Kenya and Djibouti offered mediation shortly after the outbreak of violence in Khartoum. However, this had to be cancelled due to the security situation in the Sudanese capital.

Photo: MIA archive