Headlines for April 25, 2023
Written by GRB on 26/04/2023
In Sudan, a 72-hour ceasefire appears to be largely holding, though there are reports of scattered gunfire and shelling in the capital Khartoum. Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces agreed to begin the three-day truce at midnight, following two days of negotiations brokered by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. At least 459 civilians have died since fighting between rival factions of Sudan’s military junta broke out on April 15, though the true toll is certain to be far higher. Water, food, medicine, electricity and communications remain in short supply, and damage to sanitation systems has spawned fears of waterborne diseases like cholera, as some residents have been forced to drink water directly from the Nile River. This is Rawan al-Waleed, who left her family behind in Khartoum as she fled to Egypt.
Rawan al-Waleed: “I left behind my brother, my family, the rest of my aunts and my friends. Yes, I survived, but I’m still worried about those I left behind. The situation is extremely catastrophic. There are no hospitals. Fifty-five hospitals are out of service. This is very bad. I don’t know how they are living.”
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization is warning of a high risk of biological hazards in Khartoum after fighters seized control of a national laboratory holding pathogens including measles and polio virus.
