KHARTOUM — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said warring parties in Sudan have agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire from midnight (22:00 GMT).

It is at least the third ceasefire to be announced since violence erupted this month — but none have held.

Blinken said the agreement with the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) came after 48 hours of negotiations.

At least 400 people are known to have died since the fighting broke out.

"We affirm our commitment to a complete ceasefire during the truce period", the RSF said in a statement, backing up Blinken's announcement.

The army is yet to comment publicly.

Since the violence erupted a little over a week ago, residents in the capital Khartoum have been told to stay inside, and food and water supplies have been running low.

There will be hopes the ceasefire will allow civilians to leave the city. Foreign governments will also hope it will allow for evacuations out of the country.

Countries have scrambled to evacuate their diplomats and civilians as fighting raged in central, densely-populated parts of the capital.

Violence broke out on April 15, primarily in the capital city Khartoum, between rival military factions battling for control of Africa's third largest country.

It came following days of tension as members of the RSF were redeployed around the country in a move that the army saw as a threat. — BBC