xplosions, gunfire rang out in Khartoum, as per witnesses, after paramilitaries said they were in charge of official spot, air terminal
Battling in the Sudanese capital seethed into the early long stretches of Sunday following a day of lethal fights among paramilitaries and the normal armed force that left no less than 56 individuals dead and almost 600 injured.
Blasts and gunfire rang out on the abandoned roads of Khartoum, as per witnesses, after the paramilitaries said they were in charge of the official spot, Khartoum air terminal and other essential offices.
The army denied the claims, and late on Saturday, the Sudanese air force issued a statement urging people to stay inside as it continued air strikes against Rapid Support Forces (RSF) bases.
In the past, overhead were seen fighter jets.
The independent pro-democracy medical group known as the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors reported that “the total number of deaths among civilians reached 56.” They also stated that “tens of deaths” occurred among security forces, but these deaths were not included in the new total as of early Sunday.
According to the committee, there were approximately 600 wounded, some of whom belonged to security forces. Additionally, many casualties were unable to be transported to hospitals due to difficulties moving during the fighting.
Saudia, the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, stated earlier that one of its planes had been “exposed to gunfire damage” with passengers and crew waiting for departure.
Bakry, a 24-year-old marketing professional, claimed that the people of Khartoum had “never seen anything like” this unrest, which had cast a dark cloud over the capital.
“People fled back to their homes out of fear. The roads exhausted rapidly”, said Bakry, who gave just a first name.
After weeks of growing tensions regarding the planned incorporation of Daglo’s RSF into the regular army by military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, violence broke out.
The integration was an important part of the negotiations to reach a deal that would bring the country back to civilian rule and put an end to the political and economic crisis caused by the military’s 2021 coup.
The Janjaweed militia, which then-president Omar al-Bashir unleashed a decade earlier against non-Arab ethnic minorities in the western Darfur region, was the inspiration for the RSF, which was established in 2013.
With Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and African Union Commission Chair Moussa Faki, UN chief Antonio Guterres discussed ways to deescalate the situation and demanded “an immediate cessation of hostilities.”
Additionally, he spoke with Daglo and Burhan and urged them “to return to dialogue.”
Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, also called for talks to resume.
“Efforts to restore Sudan’s democratic transition are undermined and the security and safety of Sudanese civilians are threatened by fighting between SAF (Sudanese armed forces) and RSF forces.” “Returning to negotiations is the only way to move forward,” Blinken tweeted on Sunday.
Egypt and Saudi Arabia requested that the Arab League hold an urgent meeting on Sunday to discuss the situation in Sudan.
The African and Arab regional blocs, the European Union, France, Italy, Russia, and Iran all made similar appeals.
However, in a meeting with UAE-based Sky News Arabia, Daglo, who is otherwise called Hemeti, said, “Burhan the crook should give up.”
He rejected that RSF had begun the battle, after Burhan in a prior proclamation said he “was astounded by Quick Help Powers going after his home at 9:00 am”.
The military, on its Facebook page, pronounced Daglo a “needed criminal” and the RSF a “rebel volunteer army”, saying there “will be no discussions or talks until the disintegration” of the gathering.
Two RSF bases in Khartoum were said to have been destroyed by air strikes, according to the military. It published a picture of black smoke billowing from what it claimed to be the RSF headquarters and stated that the airport and other bases remain under its “full control.”
After more than 120 civilians had already been killed in a crackdown on regular pro-democracy demonstrations since the coup, the most recent deaths occurred during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
RSF posted a video of uniformed men in Meroe, northern Sudan, on Twitter, claiming to be “Egyptian soldiers who surrendered with Sudanese military.”
Egypt’s military said it was monitoring the situation and confirmed “the presence of Egyptian forces” in Sudan for exercises.
Daglo assured Sky News Arabia that no harm would come to the Egyptians and that they would be returned home.
