Sudan army, RSF sign agreement to protect civilians as fighting continues: The Sudanese army and the rival paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) signed an agreement on Thursday to protect civilians and allow in humanitarian aid. The pact was the result of a week of peace talks in Jeddah mediated by Saudi Arabia and the US, and is hoped to lay the groundwork for a ceasefire agreement in the coming days.

Thumbs up from Egypt: Egypt’s Foreign Ministry welcomed the agreement, expressing hope that it will pave the way for the two sides to reach a permanent ceasefire.

Accusations continued: The army and the RSF continued to accuse each other of targeting civilians in statements after signing the agreement.

Talks to continue today: Sudan’s factions will return to the negotiating table today under Saudi and US-sponsored mediation, a senior Saudi diplomat told Reuters. Representatives from the two sides are remaining in the Saudi city to begin the next stage of negotiations, they said. Diplomatic sources last week expressed hope that a permanent ceasefire will soon be signed.

The fighting continues: Khartoum was hit by fresh airstrikes and artillery bombardment on Friday, reported Reuters.

Refugee count: Almost 200k people have fled Sudan and sought refuge in neighboring countries since the start of the war, reported the UN refugee agency. As of Friday, an estimated 153.2k people, including 143.7k Sudanese refugees and 9.5k foreigners, have fled Sudan, with around 81k of them arriving in Egypt, according to UN data.

Support from the EU: The EU has allocated EUR 200k to the Egyptian Red Crescent to assist refugees who have arrived in Egypt from Sudan, it said Wednesday.

Attention Egyptian university students: Students transferring from universities in Sudan, Ukraine, and Russia, can now register to resume their education in Egyptian universities, the Higher Education Ministry said Saturday.

CEASEFIRE IN GAZA-

Israel, Islamic Jihad agree to ceasefire: Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad and Israel yesterday agreed to an Egypt-mediated ceasefire, bringing five days of violence between the two sides to an end, ِAl Qahera News (watch, runtime: 0:31) reported yesterday. Israeli airstrikes and cross-border rocket fire from the strip ended when the truce came into effect at 10 pm CLT.

Violence has been ongoing since Tuesday when the Israeli military assassinated three senior commanders of Islamic Jihad ini targeted airstrikes. The five days of fighting saw at least 10 civilians killed in Gaza and two people die in Israel, according to Reuters.

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