UN urges Sudan’s warring parties to honor 7-day cease-fire that began Monday night

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. envoy for Sudan is urging the country’s warring generals to honor a seven-day cease-fire. The seven-day truce kicked in Monday night and Volker Perthes warned earlier that the growing ethnic dimension to the fighting risks engulfing the geographically strategic country into a prolonged conflict that threatens the region. He told the U.N. Security Council that the conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary that began April 15 has shown no signs of slowing down. That’s despite six previous declarations of cease-fires by both sides. Perthes called on both sides to stop the fighting so that desperately needed humanitarian aid can get to those in need.