The leader of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) which is engaged in conflict with Sudan's military has told Al Jazeera, external that he has no objection to a ceasefire over the Muslim festival of Eid.

Eid takes places at the end of the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset.

Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, made the comments after two consecutive days of failed humanitarian ceasefires.

BBC World Service

The United Arab Emirates has taken credit for the release of about 200 Egyptian troops, who had been captured by paramilitaries in Sudan.

The Rapid Support Forces said it freed the soldiers in keeping with the age-old fraternal relations with Egypt and respect for international law.

The Egyptian military said it had co-ordinated with the authorities in Sudan to secure their return.

The UAE had been involved in Yemen's civil war, having taken the separatists' side, while Sudanese troops fought alongside the Saudi-led coalition.

Fighting in the north-east African nation is ringing alarm bells around the world. Why does it matter so much?

Tunisia spent a decade building a democracy, but the current president is accused of dismantling it.

Image source, Getty Images

A section of Muslims have accused the Kenyan government of misleading people after declaring a holiday on Friday to mark Eid-ul-Fitr.

Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki declared the holiday on Wednesday in a gazette notice.

The Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (Supkem) chairman Hassan Ole Naado told the Nation website that the declaration by the government was confusing Muslim faithful as the decision should be purely based on sighting of the moon.

Mr Naado said the end of Ramadhan should only be pronounced by the chief kadhi and not the government.

“The government should have consulted Muslims before making the decision. This is a big mistake and misleading,” he said.

Several Muslims in the country took to social media to condemn the government's move.

Eid-ul-Fitr is a major religious holiday for Muslims that marks the end of the month-long fasting period of Ramadan which is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

The Egyptian army has confirmed the return of most of its soldiers held by Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as the paramilitary group battles the Sudanese army for a sixth day.

In a statement recently posted on Facebook, Egypt's military spokesman said three Egyptian military transport aircraft landed at an air base in Sudan on Wednesday to evacuate the troops and they were "safe and in good health".

He noted that the evacuation had taken place under "comprehensive security" and the three flights had landed at an Egyptian military base in Cairo.

The remaining soldiers, who were securely moved to Egypt's embassy in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, would be evacuated "once the situation stabilises and the convenient security conditions allow their return to the country", the spokesman added.

Egypt's president had said earlier in the week that the Egyptian soldiers had been in Sudan as part of joint training exercises.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, AFP

A Sudan programme director of a humanitarian organisation Corus International has told the BBC that it's been "six days of terror" not knowing "what will happen next" amid fighting between rival army factions in the capital Khartoum.

She said she could see cars and heavy military vehicles "coming up and down on the street near my house".

"That is worst part of it, you in complete ignorance of where you are going as a country, as a people, as an individual," Sara elSaeed told the BBC Newsday programme.

She said that everything was scary, including having to explain to children in the house about what was happening.

Supplies of food, water and groceries were dwindling, she said.

While she did not have to go far to get her supplies, she said she was really feeling bad for other people.

"I really feel bad for people who are a little bit out of the city...the more you walk, the more you go out the more risky you are. It's not just shelling and stray bullets, you can even be attacked... it is a really strange place.

"Some of us are not used to this, it's scary and if you go out, people you leave behind will be in agony... it's just not normal.

Image source, AFP

A Sudanese man living in the city of Omdurman has told the BBC’s Newsday radio programme that the warring sides at the heart of the country’s current conflict “don’t care about civilians’ lives”.

Mohamed, who only gave his first name, said he is “angry” and is wondering if the fighting will ever stop.

He added that “there is no ceasefire”, despite the anticipation on Wednesday night that both sides had agreed to one. He lamented that fighting only stopped when Egyptian soldiers were being evacuated out of Sudan, but resumed “as soon as they” were gone.

The banking system has also “shut down” Mohammed said, making it more difficult for people who are already short on food and water to buy more.

Most people in Sudan don’t carry cash he said, but rely on apps to make payments, so they are now facing “another issue” he added.

You can listen to his full interview here around 28 minutes in.

As fighting rages in Sudan's capital, Khartoum residents tell the BBC that another crisis is looming.

Image source, Getty Images

South Africa’s tourism board is due to be dissolved amid fallout over a proposed sponsorship for the English Premier League club Tottenham Spurs, local media report.

The deal was scrapped last month following an uproar especially from cash-strapped national sports federations and labour unions, who believe the money would be better spent elsewhere.

The three-year shirt sleeve sponsorship deal had been valued at about $51m.

"In all the circumstances, I believe that good cause exists to dissolve the board and I shall do so officially through the government gazette on Friday 21 April 2023,” Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille is quoted as saying.

A three-member team is expected to take over the functions of the board pending the appointment of a new board.

Image source, AFP

Norway's ambassador to Sudan Endre Stiansen has told the BBC that conditions are “hellish”, in the capital Khartoum amid Intense fighting between rival military factions.

It comes as the fighting continues for a sixth day.

Prolonged gunfire and explosions were heard throughout the night, marking the failure of the second ceasefire attempt in as many days.

Residents have been fleeing Khartoum, fearful about dwindling food supplies and the collapse of medical services.

Clashes have been reported elsewhere in Sudan.

The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, is due to hold online talks with the leaders of regional bodies (the African Union, the Arab League and Igad) in the hope of arranging a workable ceasefire.

Image source, Getty Images

Nigeria's Debt Management Office (DMO) has denied claims that the federal government defaulted in the payment of interest to China for loans.

Local media had reported that Nigeria accrued a penalty of $90m (£81m) after its debt from China accumulated to $240m (£217m) in the last two years.

The loans were reportedly taken to renovate some of the country’s railway lines.

In a statement on Wednesday, the DMO termed the reports false saying Nigeria was fully committed to honouring its debt obligations and had not defaulted on any of its debt service commitments.

“Nigeria remains unwaveringly committed to fulfilling its debt obligations in a responsible and timely manner," the statement added.

It urged the public to ignore the reports.

As of December 2021, the DMO said, Nigeria’s debt to China stood at $4.1bn. It was, however, silent on the current status of the Chinese loans to Nigeria.

Nigeria has in recent years suffered revenue losses following a spate of attacks on rail tracks and the kidnap of train passengers that resulted in the stoppage of train services on some routes for a while.

Sudan's paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) alleges it has shot down two military helicopters in a reprisal attack against the army.

The group said the army attacked its fighters in Omdurman, near the capital Khartoum on Thursday morning despite the truce announced on Wednesday.

"But the forces responded to the attack and inflicted heavy losses on the putschists in lives and equipment, including the shooting down of two helicopters," the RSF said in a statement posted on Twitter, external.

The paramilitary group said it remained committed to the ceasefire.

The army is yet to comment on RSF attack claims.

Image source, Ugandan presidency/Twitter

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni is due to meet MPs from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) on Thursday to discuss the controversial anti-homosexuality bill passed by parliament last month.

The meeting will take place at State House in Entebbe, according to a statement by the NRM parliamentary caucus chairperson, Denis Obua.

All MPs are required to take a Covid-19 test before the meeting, state-run New Vision website reported, external.

The bill, which local media say Mr Museveni is likely to sign into law, will see anyone engaging in acts of homosexuality facing 20 years in jail and a death penalty for convicts of aggravated homosexuality.

The proposed legislation has attracted global condemnation, with the US threatening sanctions on Uganda if the bill is enacted into law.

Image source, Getty Images

The US government has condemned the arrest of Tunisia opposition leader and the closure of the main opposition Ennahdha party headquarters.

The State Department said in a statement that the arrests of opposition leaders and the banning of opposition meetings represented a “troubling escalation by the Tunisian government against perceived opponents”.

“The government’s obligation to respect freedom of expression and other human rights is larger than any individual or political party, and is essential to a vibrant democracy and to the US-Tunisia relationship,” it said.

On Thursday, a Tunisian judge ordered the imprisonment of Rached Ghannouchi, the Ennahda party leader and a prominent critic of President Kais Saied.

Mr Ghannouchi had been arrested and detained on Monday by Tunisian authorities.

There has been a wave of arrests this year of leading figures opposed to President Saied, who assumed full executive powers almost two years ago.

More on Tunisia:

• Tunisia arrests president's critics in crackdown
• How Kais Saied rose to power

The Libyan National Army (LNA), a group of armed forces loyal to Gen Khalifa Haftar, has denied providing support to a rival party in Sudan amid the deadly fighting.

Gen Haftar heads Libya's parallel government in control in the east of the country, but which is not recognised by the international community

"The General Command categorically denies reports of providing support to one party against the other," LNA spokesman Ahmad Mesmari is quoted as saying in statement by the Reuters news agency.

He said the army was ready to play a mediating role between the rival parties in Sudan.

The Sudan army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been fighting since Saturday in clashes that have killed at least 270 people.

Sudan's paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Wednesday said it set up a call centre to receive distress calls from the citizens and foreigners in the capital, Khartoum.

"The room operates under the supervision of a force comprising various legal, medical and rescue teams, a direct communication mechanism is allocated to serve 24/7, to provide humanitarian aid and contribute to evacuations and resolve insecurities," the group said in a statement posted on Twitter, external.

It said the room was located in the RSF's controlled areas in Khartoum.

RSF’s announcement came a few hours after a fresh humanitarian ceasefire between Sudanese military and RSF was announced.

Sporadic clashes were reported on Thursday morning despite the truce.

Medics have been unable to access hospitals amid intensified clashes in Khartoum and other parts of the country.

Several countries have indicated that they will be evacuating their citizens from Sudan.

The plight of people from the Hakki-Pikki tribe in Sudan had sparked a political row in India.

Richard Wheatley
BBC News

Image source, AFP

The Sudanese army says 177 Egyptian soldiers, who had been captured by paramilitaries, were evacuated on Wednesday.

The troops were flown out of the country on four Egyptian military aircraft.

They were captured by the RSF group on Saturday during joint exercises with the Sudanese military.

The Egyptian military did not announce the evacuation - but had earlier said it was co-ordinating with authorities in Sudan to secure the troops' return.

Several countries including Japan and Tanzania announced they would evacuate their citizens, but the fighting in Sudan has delayed those plans.

Foreign diplomats have been attacked and some aid workers have reportedly been the victims of sexual violence.

A huge fire was reported in a building in Sudan's capital Khartoum, hours after warring parties announced another ceasefire that seemed to have collapsed.

Sky News Arabia said the fire spread after an attack at a weapons' store.

A civilian activist group, the Khartoum Resistance Committee, posted on Twitter footage of the fire, saying it spread from Muhannad's weapons shop in Khartoum 2 area.

It said the fire was "big" and that firefighters could not be reached.

Moments later, the committee said all the families trapped in the building near the fire had been evacuated. It's not clear who evacuated them.

The Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had agreed a 24-hour humanitarian ceasefire on Tuesday, but the truce collapsed within minutes of its proposed launch at 18:00 local time (16:00 GMT).

A new ceasefire with the same timing was put forward by the RSF on Wednesday. The army said it would abide by the truce - but gunfire could still be heard across the capital.

On Thursday morning, there were reported clashes in several locations in the city.