The fighting continued for a third day, with nearly 100 dead
The Sudan military and paramilitary group fought for control of the city of Khartoum on Monday, killing at least 97 people
The Sudan military and a powerful paramilitary group battled for control of the chaotic nation for a second day on Sunday, showing that they were unwilling to end hostilities.
As of Monday, at least 97 people have been killed, according to the Preliminary Committee of Sudanese Doctors trade union. Earlier on Sunday, the World Health Organization estimated more than 1,126 were injured.
The pair played a key role in the military coup that ended the power sharing between the military and civilians in 2021, and they had worked together to topple Sudan’s President.
In the Kafouri area, north of Khartoum, clashes and street fights broke out at dawn Monday, prompting residents to begin evacuating women and children from the area, Sudanese journalist Fathi Al-Ardi wrote on Facebook. In the Kalakla area, south of the capital, residents reported the walls of their houses shaking from explosions.
“The battles have not stopped,” she said from her family home close to the military headquarters. They are shooting at each other. It’s an all-out war in residential areas.”
Abass and her family were huddling on the floor of their home. “No one was able to sleep and the kids were crying and screaming with every explosion,” she said. She was talking to The Associated Press when she heard gunshots.
The clash between the rebelled army and the rebel rebel rebel movement in Sudan triggered by a high-profile military assault in June 2019. The death toll was near 100
The military and R SF claimed to be in control of strategic locations in the county. Their claims couldn’t be independently verified.
Sources in Sudan and Sudanese military sources told CNN that there were disagreements over the merger of the forces and the status of RSF officers in a future hierarchy.
Top diplomats, including the U.S. Secretary of State, the U.N. secretary-general, the EU foreign policy chief, the head of the Arab League and the head of the African Union Commission urged the sides to stop fighting. The U.N. Security Council’s call for an end to the conflict and return to dialogue were at odds with other crises around the world.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he consulted with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. “We agreed it was essential for the parties to immediately end hostilities without pre-condition,” he said in a statement early Sunday.
Over 120 protesters were killed when a protest camp outside the military’s headquarters in Khartoum was broken up in June 2019. Many groups have repeatedly called for holding them accountable. The RSF has long been accused of atrocities linked to the Darfur conflict.
The death toll from the fighting neared 100 on Monday, as the sound of warplanes and shelling woke the residents of Khartoum.
Video clips show military jets and choppers hitting the airport while other clips show the charred remains of the General Command building after it was engulfed in fire.
Sudan Fighting Evacuation Suspension, the Intergovernmental Aid Agency, and the World Health Organisation (WFH), Reuters reported on Sunday
Hospitals were suffering from shortages of specialized medical personnel, according to the WHO. “Water and power cuts are affecting the functionality of health facilities, and shortages of fuel for hospital generators are also being reported,” the WHO said on Sunday.
He speculated that the army chief and his rival, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, had lost control of the military. When asked if he was going to rule Sudan, he said there should be a civilian government.
Amid the fighting, civilians have been warned to stay indoors. One resident stated that they were trapped inside their own homes with little to no protection.
“All we can hear is continuous blast after blast. They wrote that it felt like it was over our heads, as they didn’t know what exactly was happening.
Access to information is also limited, with the government-owned national TV channel now off the air. Television employees told CNN that it is in the hands of the RSF.
The conflict has put other countries and organizations on high alert, with the United Nations’ World Food Program temporarily halting all operations in Sudan after three employees were killed in clashes on Saturday.
UN and other humanitarian facilities in Darfur have been looted, while a WFP-managed aircraft was seriously damaged by gunfire in Khartoum, impeding the WFP’s ability to transport aid and workers within the country, the international aid agency said.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/17/africa/sudan-fighting-evacuation-suspension-intl-hnk/index.html
The U.S. Embassy in Sudan is working to get its citizens out of the war-ring country, and it needs to return to the civilian-led regime
Mexico is working to get citizens out of Sudan, with its foreign minister saying Sunday that they are ready to explode their exit.
The United States embassy in Sudan said Sunday there were no plans for a government-coordinated evacuation yet for Americans in the country, citing the closure of the Khartoum airport. If private US citizens became necessary it would make an announcement, telling them to stay indoors and shelter in place.
There has been calls for peace and negotiations. The head of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki, is scheduled to arrive in Khartoum on Monday, in an attempt to stop the fighting.
People in Sudan want the military to return, they want democracy, and they want a civilian-led government. Sudan needs to return to that path,” Blinken said, speaking on the sidelines of the G7 foreign minister talks in Japan on Monday.
The UN’s political mission in Sudan has said the country’s two warring factions have agreed to a “proposal” although it is not yet clear what that entails.
