Sudan has closed its airspace until the end of May.

On May 13, Sudan's civil aviation authority announced that it would continue to close its airspace until May 31.

In the announcement, the Sudanese authorities stated that "evacuation flights and humanitarian aid flights" would be exempt from this regulation if they had a permit issued by the relevant authority.

Sudan closed its airspace after military clashes broke out between its army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) group in mid-April.

On the same day, Libya welcomed the signing of a Declaration of Commitment to Protect Sudanese Civilians by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudanese Regional Forces (RSF) in the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah.

In a statement, the Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation reaffirmed its interest in restoring stability in Sudan and encouraged the SAF and RSF to abide by their commitments in the declaration regarding the protection of civilians. The ministry also called for strengthening the agreement between the parties in Sudan with additional measures to address urgent humanitarian needs.

Earlier, a senior Saudi Arabian diplomatic official confirmed that representatives of the warring parties in Sudan would resume negotiations on May 14, focusing on a solution for the delivery of humanitarian aid and the withdrawal of troops from civilian areas. Representatives from both sides were in Jeddah, a city on the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia, to begin the next phase of negotiations, after agreeing on a plan to protect civilians on May 11.

Since armed conflict erupted last month, claiming the lives of hundreds and displacing hundreds of thousands, the warring parties in Sudan have shown no sign of ceasing hostilities. The conflict has crippled Sudan's economy , stifled its trade, exacerbated the humanitarian crisis, and threatens to plunge Sudan into a full-blown civil war. The United Nations says around 200,000 Sudanese have already fled to neighboring countries.

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The warring parties in Sudan have pledged to protect civilians.

According to Reuters, US officials said that although no ceasefire agreement had been reached, rival factions in Sudan pledged on May 12 to protect civilians and humanitarian aid operations in the country.

Fighting in Sudan: US President warns of sanctions.

On May 4-5, US President Joe Biden called for an end to the weeks-long fighting in Sudan, while warning of sanctions.

Factions in Sudan agree to a one-week ceasefire.

Reuters reported on May 3rd that, in a statement, the South Sudanese Foreign Ministry – a neighboring country and a mediator in the Sudanese conflict – announced that the Sudanese Army (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had agreed on a nationwide seven-day ceasefire from May 4th to 11th.

The US deploys a disaster response team to assist Sudan.

Reuters reported on April 23 that Samantha Power, Director-General of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), announced the agency had deployed a team of disaster response experts to Sudan to coordinate humanitarian efforts amid escalating fighting in the country.

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