Explosions and gunfire have been reported in Sudan’s capital Khartoum, as fighting in the country enters its third day.
Since fighting erupted on Saturday, April 15, 2023, 97 civilians have been killed and hundreds have been wounded, the Sudan Doctors’ Syndicate, a pro-democracy group monitoring casualties, announced.
Airstrikes and shelling have intensified in parts of Khartoum and the adjoining city of Omdurman. Rapid, sustained firing was heard near the military headquarters, with white smoke rising from the area. Residents hiding in their homes reported power outages and incidents of looting.
Fighting has also spread to the war-wrecked western Darfur region, and areas of northern and eastern Sudan, near the borders with Egypt and Ethiopia.
The ongoing clashes are part of a power struggle between Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, the Commander of the armed forces, and Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the Head of the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group.
Both men have said that they would not negotiate a truce, while engaging in verbal attacks and demanding the other’s surrender.
Over the weekend, Gen. Dagalo of the Rapid Support Force (RSF) called Gen. Burhan a dog, talked about hunting him down and called him a criminal while the army have basically said they will not stop until the RSF is dissolved.
On Sunday, April 16, 2023, the warring sides agreed to a three-hour pause in fighting to allow civilians to stock up on necessities. However, compliance was spotty, and there were reports of casualties during the humanitarian pause.
Volker Perthes, the U.N. envoy for Sudan, called out the breaches on Monday and urged both sides to “ensure the protection of all civilians.”
In a Twitter thread posted on Monday, April 17, 2023, Gen. Dagalo called for the international community to intervene in the situation. He called for action over the “crimes” of his adversary, the army leader Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Gen. Dagalo claimed that his troops are fighting against “radical Islamists”.
The head of the RSF asserted that the fight he is waging is “the price of democracy”. He stated that his soldiers “did not attack anyone” and are simply responding to a “siege and assault”.
“We are fighting for the people of Sudan to ensure the democratic progress, for which they have so long yearned.” Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo
Blinken Renews Call For A Truce
U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken renewed his call for a truce and a return to negotiations during a meeting of the Group of Seven wealthy nations in Japan on Monday, April 17, 2023.
“People in Sudan want the military back in the barracks. They want democracy. They want the civilian-led government, Sudan needs to return to that path.”
Antony Blinken
UK Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly echoed Blinken’s statement by saying that the future of Sudan “ultimately lies in the hands of the generals who are engaged in this fight”, and called on them to put peace first.
Also, there have been multiple calls on the African continent for an end to the fighting which is now in its third day and has led to dozens of deaths.
South Africa labelled the situation in Sudan “disturbing” and appealed to the rival factions to spare the Sudanese people any further violence during the holy month of Ramadan.
Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni averred that it was of the “utmost importance” to cease the hostilities “to stop the tragedy and mockery of Africa.” President William Ruto of Kenya asked regional leaders to take a firm position to restore peace in Khartoum. Kenyan authorities have disclosed that they are planning to evacuate 3,000 nationals stuck in Sudan.
Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed noted that the clashes “contradict the longstanding and deep-rooted Sudanese norms and values.”
The ruling junta in Chad has closed its border with Sudan and called on “the belligerents to commence dialogue.”
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