Fighting continued for a second consecutive day in Sudan this Sunday, with shots continuing to ring out despite an agreed break of about three hours to allow a “humanitarian corridor” for the withdrawal of the wounded. More than half a hundred civilians, including three United Nations employees, have been killed in the power struggle between the army and the paramilitaries. The former, the only ones with access to fighter jets, bombed several paramilitary bases in Khartoum and appeared to have the upper hand in the capital. But contradictions persisted over who controlled what, and there were reports of the fighting spreading to other areas.
After months of tension, fighting broke out on Saturday between the army loyal to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, responsible for the Sovereign Council that has ruled since the April 2019 coup that toppled Omar al-Bashir, and the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces. (RSF, the abbreviation in English). These have roots in the Janjawid militias, which fought alongside the government in the war in Darfur, and are led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemetti, the number two of the council.
The fighting further threatens the democratic transition, which a coup backed by the two military leaders in late 2021 had already complicated.. After a year of protests, a pre-agreement, reached with international support along with civilian leaders, should put the democratic process back on track. But tensions flared between the military over the integration of the RSF into the regular forces, with both sides trading mutual accusations over who was responsible for starting Saturday’s fighting.
Witnesses told AFP that on Sunday, deafening explosions and intense gunfire rocked buildings in Khartoum’s densely populated northern and southern suburbs, with tanks crossing the streets and fighter jets flying low overhead. Other witnesses explained to Reuters that the army allegedly destroyed RSF bases and barracks with aerial bombardments, including in the town of Omdurman – on the other bank of the River Nile from Khartoum. According to Al-Jazeera, the paramilitaries said they had withdrawn from their bases in the capital but were not defeated. In addition, the fighting is said to have already spread to other locations, including Port Sudan, Kassala or Kosti.
Still in the capital of Africa’s third-largest country, Reuters reported that the military had managed to regain control of most of the presidential palace, which both troops claimed to have controlled the day before. The paramilitaries are also said to be surrounded at Khartoum airport, reportedly not wanting to attack to prevent damage to this infrastructure. However, satellite images showed several damaged aircraft.
The temporary cessation of fighting proposed by UN envoy to Sudan Volker Perthes was accepted by both sides during the afternoon, but will not be 100% fulfilled. Diplomatic efforts to definitively end the clashes intensified this Sunday, following calls for an end to the violence – from the US, the European Union, Russia, China or the Arab League. The African Union Commission called for an “unconditional” ceasefire and directed its chairman, Moussa Faki Mahamat, to “travel immediately to Sudan to meet both sides”.
Source: DN
