The special envoy of the United Nations Mission in Sudan, Volker Perthes, “strongly condemned the outbreak of fighting in Sudan” and called for “an immediate cessation” of hostilities between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group.
“Representative Perthes spoke with both parties to request that they immediately cease the fighting and guarantee the safety of the Sudanese people and prevent further violence in the country,” the United Nations (UN) envoy said in a brief statement.
Perthes also expressed his “strong condemnation” of the clashes this morning between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, which are taking place “in many parts of the capital, Khartoum, and in other areas.”
On a visit to Vietnam, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that while the situation in Sudan is “fragile,” there is still “a real opportunity to fight for a transition to civilian rule.”
“There are some actors holding back that progress, but this is a real opportunity to fight for a transition to civilian rule. We are very focused on that,” Blinken said at a press conference in Hanoi today, when asked about the situation in Sudan. .
The Sudanese Air Force began shelling the paramilitary group’s positions today in an attempt to repel an attack that began this morning after RSF accused the Sudanese Army of attacking two of its headquarters.
RSF indicated that it had seized or controlled the Presidential Palace, as well as the Khartoum international airport, the largest in Sudan, information that the Armed Forces denied.
The Army said in a statement that the shelling destroyed the Soba camp, where a “brutal attack” took place this morning, according to RSF, and which triggered the subsequent fighting.
These clashes come two days after the Army was warned that the country is going through a “dangerous situation” that could lead to an armed conflict, after RSF units “mobilized” in the Sudanese capital and other cities. without the consent or coordination of the Armed Forces.
This mobilization occurred during the negotiations to reach a definitive political agreement that materialized with the 2021 coup d’état and led Sudan to a democratic transition, a pact postponed twice in April precisely because of the tensions and rivalries between the two Armies and the RSF.
The RSF will emerge from the Janjawid militias, accused of crimes against humanity during the Darfur conflict (2003-2008) and are led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti, considered the most powerful man in all of Sudan.
Source: TSF
