Several previous truces have failed to stop the fighting. In the hours before the truce period began witnesses reported clashes and air strikes in several areas of Khartoum and Omdurman, one of two adjoining cities that make up the wider capital at the confluence of the River Nile. It has also appealed for nearly $500 million for the refugee crisis caused by the conflict. More than 500,000 people have fled into countries neighbouring Sudan, in addition to nearly 1.7 million who have been internally displaced. Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz Writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Persons: Salaheldin Ahmed, autocrat Omar al, Bashir, Khalid Abdelaziz, Aidan Lewis, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Monday DUBAI, Rapid Support Forces, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Geneva, Khartoum, Saudi, U.S, Darfur, Sudan, Omdurman, Saudi Arabia, United States, Jeddah, Germany, Qatar, Egypt