Sudan: Patchy truce extended for five days

Sudan's warring sides agreed Monday to extend a shaky ceasefire after coming under pressure from mediators.

The five-day extension of the truce between Sudan’s military and its rival, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), was announced in a joint statement late on Monday by Saudi Arabia and the United States.

Clashes had rocked the capital Khartoum Monday, the last day of the old ceasefire. Both sides had used the last seven days to resupply and reinforce their positions in anticipation of new fighting.

Sudan descended into chaos in mid-April after a months-long power struggle pitting two army generals; Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

The fighting has killed at least 866 civilians and wounded thousands more.