Sudan's rival forces agree to protect civilians but no ceasefire
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00:00 For more, let's speak to our regional correspondent, Bastien de Lanois, standing by in Nairobi.
00:03 Hello to you, Bastien.
00:05 Just how meaningful are these pledges?
00:07 What will they do concretely?
00:10 Well, it's difficult to have the answer to this question at the moment.
00:17 Both the Army and the Rapid Support Forces signed a commitment to respect humanitarian
00:22 principles.
00:24 What does it mean?
00:25 Well, in their own words, they agree that the interest and well-being of the Sudanese
00:29 people are their top priority.
00:31 So what are they going to do?
00:33 Well, they're supposed to ensure safe passage for civilians trying to escape from the most
00:38 affected areas, such as Khartoum or the Darfur region.
00:42 They're supposed to let humanitarian assistance reach these areas.
00:45 You know that it's been very difficult for international organizations to reach Khartoum
00:48 and Darfur during the past four weeks.
00:51 They call for the restoration of electricity and water services.
00:55 Many people in Khartoum and in Darfur do not have any access to water anymore, do not have
01:00 access to electricity since the beginning of the fighting on the 15th of April.
01:05 And they also agreed on withdrawing from hospitals.
01:09 You know that in Khartoum, more than 70 percent of hospitals have been destroyed or are currently
01:14 occupied by the security forces.
01:18 They agreed to leave from these hospitals.
01:20 But is it going to change anything?
01:23 It's difficult to say at the moment.
01:24 You know that Sudan already signed the Geneva Convention in 1957.
01:29 The army and the rapid support forces are already supposed to follow these rules protecting
01:34 civilians.
01:35 So this new document, is it going to change anything according to civilians who are still
01:39 stranded in Khartoum?
01:40 No, they don't believe that the rapid support forces and the army are willing to stop fighting
01:46 at the moment.
01:48 They did not sign a ceasefire.
01:49 They just agreed to meet for further discussions to try to implement a ceasefire.
01:54 So many in Khartoum do not believe that such a thing will happen any time soon.