The situation in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, has been very tense since the resumption of clashes on Saturday between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of Mohamed Hamdane Daglo, known as “Hemedti”, and the army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhane.
“The clashes between (the Sudanese army) and the RSF threaten the safety and security of Sudanese civilians.” In a tweet, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is deeply concerned about the resumption of fighting between the Rapid Support Forces (FSR) of Mohamed Hamdane Daglo, known as “Hemedti”, and the army, led by Abdel Fattah al – Burhane. These clashes left at least 56 civilians dead and “tens” among the security forces, as well as about 600 wounded, the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors, an independent and pro-democracy organization, reported on Sunday April 16.
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), thousands of former Darfur war militiamen turned army auxiliaries who now want to dislodge the army from power, said they control the presidential residence, Khartoum airport and other key infrastructure.
The army has denied taking the airport, but admits that the FSRs have “burned civilian planes, including one from Saudi Airlines”, which the company confirmed. In a statement released late Saturday, the Sudanese army asked people to stay at home as it continued its airstrikes against paramilitary bases.
Calls to stop fighting that remain in vain
Throughout the day, calls for a ceasefire have multiplied: from the UN, Washington, Moscow, Paris, Rome, Riyadh, the African Union, the Arab League, the European Union and even the former Prime civilian minister Abdallah Hamdok. The Arab League announced an emergency meeting on Sunday on Sudan, at the request of Cairo and Riyadh, two major allies of the Sudanese army.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on the two belligerents, but also Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to demand “an immediate end to the violence”. The paramilitaries say they are inflexible. They “will not stop until they have taken control of all the military bases”, threatened Commander Hemedti on al-Jazeera TV. The latter is targeted by a “wanted notice” launched on the army’s Facebook page.
General Burhane, for his part, assured in a press release that he had been “surprised at nine in the morning” by an attack on his HQ by the FSR, his former best ally whom the army now describes as “foreign-backed militia” to lead his “treason”. The army mobilized its planes to strike and “destroy” RSF bases in Khartoum. As for the calls to return to the negotiating table, the army replied that it was “impossible before the dissolution of the FSR”.
