KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — At least 56 people have been killed in Sudan in heavy fighting between the armed forces and an influential paramilitary group, a group of medics said Sunday. The Sudanese Doctors Union reported at least 595 injuries in the violence in the country.
Tension had been building for months between the army and its ally-turned-rival, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Those differences had delayed an agreement with political forces to return the country to its brief transition to democracy, frustrated by a military coup in October 2021.
There were scenes of chaos in Khartoum, where fighters fired from truck-mounted machine guns into crowded neighborhoods. Residents described chaotic scenes in the capital. “There are fires and explosions everywhere,” said Amal Mohamed, a doctor at a public hospital in Omdurman.
“We have not seen fighting like that in Khartoum,” said resident Abdel-Hamid Mustafa.
By the end of the day, the army issued a statement ruling out negotiations with the RSF and calling for dismantling what it described as a “rebel militia.” The leader of the paramilitary group, for his part, branded the head of the armed forces a “criminal”. The harsh language indicated that the conflict between the former allies, who jointly orchestrated the 2021 coup, was likely to continue.
Meanwhile, diplomatic pressure seemed to be mounting. High-level diplomats such as the US Secretary of State, the United Nations Secretary-General, the European Union foreign policy chief, the Arab League leader and the head of the African Union Commission urged the two sides to stop the violence.
Arab states with interests in Sudan – Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – also called for a ceasefire and for both sides to resume negotiations.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had consulted with the Saudi and Emirati foreign ministers. “We agreed that it was essential that the parties immediately cease hostilities without preconditions,” he said in a statement early Sunday morning.
The fighting follows months of escalating tensions between the commander of the Sudanese army, General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the leader of the RSF, General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo. Sudan has suffered years of political instability since the 2021 coup.
The latest tensions stem from disagreements 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 the transition agreement with political forces, which has not yet been signed.
The fighting began on Saturday morning. The two sides accused each other of starting hostilities and made parallel claims over who controlled strategic facilities in the capital.
___ Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.
