The Sudanese government's military government has said it is ready to take action on the ground, but it has not been able to do so because of a lack of resources.

The emissaries of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane, head of the army, and Mohamed Hamdane Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), signed a "declaration for the protection of civilians" in Saudi Arabia on Thursday night.

This document, negotiated under Saudi-American mediation, provides for "safe passages" to allow civilians to flee and for the delivery of humanitarian aid.

However, it does not mention a truce, but only future talks for a temporary ceasefire, and even later "broad discussions for a permanent cessation of hostilities" which in four weeks have left more than 750 dead, 5,000 wounded and more than 900,000 displaced and refugees.

The talks are due to resume this weekend in Jeddah, a Saudi diplomat told AFP. He described the statement as an "important step", but acknowledged that the process was still at a "preliminary stage".

The head of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi, said on Twitter that it was a "positive step towards restoring peace".

The RSF said on Friday that "in view of past experiences", the army had "no word or interest in alleviating the suffering of the people".

In Khartoum, residents report increasingly violent air strikes. More and more often, they tell AFP, "the walls of the houses are shaking", while artillery fire is still incessant in some areas.

For the past four weeks, millions of Sudanese, mainly in Khartoum, have been barricaded in their homes in the sweltering heat, with virtually no running water or electricity and shortages of food, money, medicine and fuel.

In this state bordering Eritrea, where tens of thousands of displaced people have arrived, "the local authorities have declared a state of emergency to control basic goods" and ration them, explains this resident.

The situation is particularly critical in Darfur, in the west bordering Chad, which was ravaged in the 2000s by a bloody repression.

According to the UN, 450 people have been killed in the town of El-Geneina in fighting that also involves armed civilians, tribal fighters and local armed groups.

"Bullets everywhere

And every day, thousands of people cross the borders, notably to Egypt. Tens of thousands have arrived in Chad, South Sudan and Ethiopia.

The Sudanese government appealed on Saturday to the international community, citing in particular the UN, the African Union (AU), the Arab League and regional organisations to provide assistance in the face of the "catastrophic humanitarian situation".

He wants to make available the port and airport of Port Sudan on the Red Sea (east), the airport of Dongola (north) and the military base of Wadi Sidna near Khartoum to receive humanitarian aid.

The senior Saudi diplomat told AFP that General Burhane had been invited to the Arab League summit of heads of state on 19 May in Jeddah, without being able to specify who would represent Sudan at the meeting.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he "hopes that (the) declaration (signed in Jeddah) will ensure that the relief operation can be deployed quickly and safely. He "reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire and broad-based discussions to achieve a permanent cessation of hostilities".

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