KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — The Sudanese army and a powerful paramilitary force were fighting fiercely in the capital Khartoum and other parts of the country on Saturday, raising fears of a broader conflict in a nation wracked by chaos.
In Khartoum, heavy gunfire could be heard at various points, including the city center and the Bahri neighborhood.
In a series of statements, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) accused the army of attacking its troops at one of its bases south of the capital. In addition, they announced the seizure of the city’s airport and said that they “completely controlled” the Republican Palace, the seat of the presidency. The group also said it seized an airport and airbase in the northern city of Marawi, some 350 kilometers (215 miles) northwest of Khartoum.
The Associated Press was unable to independently verify those claims.
According to the military, the fighting started after the RSF tried to attack the soldiers in the south of the capital. He later called the group a “rebel force” and called their statements “lies.”
Tensions between the army and the RSF have escalated in recent months, forcing the signing of an agreement, backed by the international community, between political parties to restore the country’s democratic transition to be delayed.
Commercial planes that were supposed to land at Khartoum International Airport began to turn around to return to their point of origin. Flights from Saudi Arabia returned to the kingdom after nearly landing in the capital, flight tracking data showed on Saturday.
The tensions stem from disagreement over how the RSF, led by influential General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, should be integrated into the army and which authority should oversee the process. Incorporation is a key condition of the transition pact.
Their rivalry dates back to the government of autocratic former president Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted in 2019. The paramilitary force was formed during his tenure, from former militias, known as janjaweed, which carried out a brutal crackdown in the region of Darfur in during the decades of conflict there.
In a rare televised speech, a top army general warned Thursday of possible clashes with paramilitary forces, which he accused of deploying their forces in Khartoum and other areas without the army’s consent. The RSF defended its operation in an earlier statement.
The RSF recently deployed troops near Merowe, a town in the north. In addition, videos circulating on social media on Thursday showed what appeared to be armed vehicles of the force being taken to Khartoum.
According to a statement from the Sudanese Medical Committee, which is part of the country’s pro-democracy movement, the clashes have caused “injuries of varying severity.” The number of casualties remained unclear.
Sudan has been in chaos since a 2021 military coup that toppled a Western-backed government, dashing Sudanese hopes for democratic rule after three decades of autocracy and repression under al-Bashir.
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Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates contributed to this report.
