Global Courant 2023-04-17 01:58:55
Fierce fighting continues in Sudan’s capital despite an hour-long pause to address humanitarian needs, including the evacuation of the wounded, on the second day of fighting that left dozens dead.
The clashes that began on Saturday between the armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) sparked international outrage and regional concern, including border closures by neighboring Egypt and Chad.
It was the first such outbreak since both joined forces to oust Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in 2019, and was sparked by a disagreement over the integration of the RSF into the military as part of a transition to civilian rule.
Deafening explosions and intense gunfire rattled buildings in the densely populated northern and southern suburbs of the capital Khartoum, as tanks rumbled through the streets and fighter jets roared overhead, witnesses said.
Fighting continued after nightfall on Sunday as Sudanese huddled in their homes fearing a protracted conflict that could plunge the country into deeper chaos, dashing long-held hopes of a transition to a civilian-led democracy. would hit the ground.
Following the killing of three World Food Program employees on Saturday, the agency said it was suspending operations in the impoverished country.
Violence broke out early Saturday after weeks of power struggles between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, who heads the heavily armed RSF. Each accused the other of starting the fight.
’56 civilians killed’
The pro-democracy Central Committee of Sudan doctors reported 56 civilian casualties and “dozens dead” among security forces, and about 600 wounded.
Late Sunday afternoon, the military said they had “agreed to a United Nations proposal to open safe passage for humanitarian cases”, including the evacuation of wounded, for three hours ending at 5:00 pm GMT.
RSF affirmed the measure and both sides retained their right to “respond in case of violations” by the other side.
Despite the pause, heavy gunfire was still heard in the center of Khartoum, near the airport, and thick black smoke billowed from the surrounding area.
Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan, reporting from Khartoum, said the three-hour humanitarian ceasefire announced by the warring factions has ended.
“The duration of the short ceasefire has already expired. It was from about four o’clock local time to seven o’clock. Within that three hour period we could hear the sounds of heavy artillery in different parts of the capital Khartoum. We could see smoke rising from the southern and northern parts of the city,” Morgan said.
“The whole purpose of the three-hour ceasefire was to allow those trapped near the presidential palace, near the army high command, to escape – as well as those trapped in areas near the RSF bases facing airstrikes by Sudanese army fighter jets.”
Dagalo’s RSF says it has captured the presidential palace, Khartoum airport and other strategic locations, but the army insists it is still in control.
Fighting also broke out in the western region of Darfur and in the eastern border state of Kassala, where witness Hussein Saleh said the army had fired artillery at a paramilitary camp.
WFP employees killed
The UN said three World Food Program (WFP) staff were killed in clashes in northern Darfur on Saturday and announced a “temporary halt to all operations in Sudan”.
Following their deaths and those of other civilians, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “immediate justice”. He had previously warned that an escalation of fighting would “exacerbate an already precarious humanitarian situation”.
According to the UN, a third of the Sudanese population is in need of humanitarian aid.
Founded in 2013, the RSF grew out of the so-called Janjaweed militia that then-President al-Bashir unleashed a decade earlier against non-Arab ethnic minorities in Darfur, alleging war crimes.
The planned integration of the RSF into the regular army was a key part of talks to finalize a deal that would hopefully restore Sudan’s civilian transition and end the political-economic crisis sparked by the military coup by al-Burhan and Dagalo in 2021.
Calls to end the fighting have come from across the region and the world, including the United States, Britain, China, the European Union and Russia, as Pope Francis said he followed events “with concern” and urged dialogue .
After a meeting on the situation in Sudan, the African Union said a senior official would travel there “immediately” on a ceasefire mission.
The October 2021 coup led to cuts in international aid and sparked near-weekly protests that were met with a deadly crackdown.
Al-Burhan, who rose through the ranks under the three-decade rule of the now imprisoned al-Bashir, has said the coup was “necessary” to bring more factions into politics.
Dagalo later called the coup a “mistake” that brought no change and revived the remnants of al-Bashir’s governments that had been removed by the military in 2019 after mass protests.
