Washington, 21 May 2023 (dpa/MIA) - The warring parties in Sudan have agreed to a seven-day ceasefire due to start on Monday and sealed it with their signatures for the first time, according to the US State Department.

The ceasefire is intended to give people in the strife-torn country access to humanitarian aid, it said in a statement issued on Saturday. The conflict parties agreed to withdraw armed forces from hospitals and other important public facilities during the specified period.

The ceasefire, brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia, is to come into effect on Monday evening in Sudan. The agreement was signed in the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah by representatives of both parties, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced via Twitter.

"It is well known that the parties have previously announced ceasefires that have not been observed," the US said in a joint statement. "Unlike previous ceasefires, the agreement reached in Jeddah was signed by the parties."

Moreover, this time a monitoring mechanism supported by the US and Saudi Arabia, among others, would be set up to report ceasefire violations.

"I implore both sides to uphold this agreement — the eyes of the world are watching," Blinken warned in a tweet.

At the end of the seven days, the agreement can be extended should the conflict parties agree to do so.

Prior to the agreement's announcement, the State Department said Blinken had spoken with Sudan's de facto president Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, one of the warring parties, about a short-term ceasefire to facilitate delivery of humanitarian assistance and restoration of essential services.

Sudan, on Africa's Horn, has experienced a long-simmering power struggle that escalated violently on April 15. The army under the command of al-Burhan is fighting the paramilitary units of his deputy, Hamdan Daglo. The two generals seized power together in 2021, before clashing later.

Photo: EPA