Global Courant 2023-04-16 01:43:07
The Sudanese army and a powerful paramilitary force have been embroiled in fierce fighting in the capital and elsewhere in the country, dealing another blow to hopes of a transition to democracy and heightening fears of a wider conflict.
A group of doctors said on Saturday that at least three people were killed and dozens more injured in the violence.
The clashes capped months of heightened tensions between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group. Those tensions had stalled a deal with political parties to return the country to its short-lived transition to democracy, which was derailed by a military coup in October 2021.
After a day of heavy fighting, the army ruled out negotiations with the RSF and instead called for the dismantling of what it called an “insurgent militia”.
The sound of heavy fire was heard throughout Saturday in the capital, Khartoum, and the nearby town of Omdurman, where the army and RSF have gathered tens of thousands of troops since the coup.
Witnesses said fighters from both sides fired from armored vehicles and machine guns mounted on pick-up trucks during fighting in densely populated areas. Some tanks were seen in Khartoum. The army said it launched attacks from aircraft and drones on RSF positions in and around the capital.
Residents described chaotic scenes. “Fire and explosions are everywhere,” said Amal Mohamed, a doctor at a public hospital in Omdurman. “All run and seek shelter.”
“We have never seen such battles in Khartoum,” said Khartoum resident Abdel-Hamid Mustafa.
Clashes are increasing over control of airports
One of the hot spots was Khartoum International Airport. There was no formal announcement that the airport was closed, but major airlines suspended their flights.
This included flights to Sudan from Egypt and Saudi Arabia returning after nearly landing at the airport, flight tracking data showed.
Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier said one of its planes was involved in what it called an “accident”. Video showed the plane burning on the tarmac. Another aircraft also appeared to have caught fire.
The Sudan Doctors’ Syndicate said two civilians were killed at the airport and another man was shot dead in North Kordofan state.
Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan reported from Khartoum that clashes for control of several airports had intensified throughout the day, as well as other key facilities.
“Both sides are trying to control the airports because they will be important supply routes for anyone who manages to control them,” she said.
Armed forces leaders and the RSF, who were partners in the 2021 coup, exchanged blame for starting Saturday’s fighting and offered conflicting accounts about who had control of key installations.
General Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan, commander of the Sudanese army, told Al Jazeera in a telephone interview that RSF forces first “harassed” the army south of Khartoum, triggering the clashes.
He said the RSF attacked his residence in the army headquarters at around 09:00 local time (07:00 GMT).
Al-Burhan accused the RSF of entering Khartoum airport and setting fire to some planes. He also said that all strategic facilities, including the army headquarters and the Republican Palace, the seat of the Sudanese presidency, are under the control of his armed forces. He threatened to send more troops from all over the country to Khartoum.
The head of the RSF, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, accused al-Burhan of starting the battle by encircling RSF forces. “This criminal, he forced this battle on us.”
He told Al Jazeera that the battle will pave the way for a peaceful resolution, adding that it would be over in “the next few days”.
“I can’t put a time limit on the fights; however, we are adamant about ending it with the least amount of losses,” he said.
The RSF claimed that its forces controlled strategic locations in Khartoum and the northern city of Merowe, some 350 km northwest of the capital. The military dismissed the claims as “lies”.
Al Jazeera could not independently verify the claims and the situation on the ground was unclear.
Calls for restraint
The fighting came after months of escalating tensions between the generals and years of political turmoil following the 2021 coup.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other top diplomats expressed concern over the outbreak of violence. “We urge all actors to immediately stop the violence and avoid further escalations or troop mobilizations and to continue talks to resolve unresolved issues,” Blinken wrote on Twitter.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres; the top diplomat of the European Union, Josep Borrell; the head of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat; Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit; and Qatar all called for a ceasefire and for both sides to return to negotiations to settle their dispute.
Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates called on the fighters in Sudan to show restraint and work towards a political solution in the country.
Former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, who was ousted in the 2021 coup, warned of possible regional conflict if fighting escalates. “The shooting must stop immediately,” he said in a video call to both sides on his Twitter account.
Volker Perthes, the UN envoy to Sudan, and the Saudi ambassador to Sudan, Ali Bin Hassan Jaffar, were in contact with Dagalo and Burhan to try to end the violence, a UN official who asked for anonymity said for internal discuss deliberations.
Meanwhile, Chad announced it would close its land borders with Sudan until further notice because of the fighting.
Widespread fighting
The clashes centered in Khartoum but also took place in other areas of the country, including the northern province, the conflict-ravaged region of Darfur and the strategic coastal Red Sea city of Port Sudan, a military official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. . because he was not authorized to inform the media.
Tensions stemmed from a disagreement over how the RSF, led by Dagalo, should be integrated into the armed forces and which authority should oversee the process. The merger is a key condition of Sudan’s unsigned transitional agreement with political groups.
Cameron Hudson, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC, told Al Jazeera that security sector reform has been an important part of Sudan’s democratic transition.
“There has been a more intensive process over the past two months to try to broker some kind of outcome between the RSF and the Sudanese armed forces to determine the future dispensation of the Sudanese security forces,” he said.
Hudson said tense talks, escalating tensions and troop deployments led to the current outcome, which isn’t surprising for someone who closely follows developments in the country.
“Washington is in a better place than anyone else to try and intervene and mediate, but what we’re seeing now is those messages fall on deaf ears,” he said.
