Extended armed civil war between opposing groups of Sudan’s military government has killed over 185 civilians. Clashes started on April 15, 2024, mostly in the Darfur area and the nation’s capital city of Khartoum.
Power Struggle
An apparent power struggle between the two major factions of Sudan’s military dictatorship led to the outbreak of the violence.
The paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group of militia, support the former warlord Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, while the Sudanese military forces tend to back Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the de facto ruler of the nation.
The power battle dates back to the years before a 2019 uprising that toppled tyrant Omar al-Bashir. During that time, he amassed powerful security forces that he purposefully pitted against one another.
Indians struck
In the midst of the continuing situation in Sudan, which has endangered the lives of thousands of Indian citizens in Khartoum, the capital city, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over a meeting today. Up to 4,000 Indians are presently trapped in the crisis-stricken nation.India stated that the situation in Sudan is “very tense” and that they are concentrating on protecting the safety and well-being of the Indian population, including developing backup plans and potential evacuation options.
India Today, official sources revealed that India is closely collaborating with many nations, including the US, the UK, and Saudi Arabia, to secure the safety and security of Indian citizens in the violently unrest-stricken Sudan. In order to ensure the safety of the Indians, Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar has already spoken with his colleagues from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt about the situation on the ground in Sudan, which is rife with violence.
Embassy Staff Evacuation
According to the Pentagon, the US is deploying more “military capabilities” in the area around Sudan to get ready for a potential evacuation of the US embassy workers in Khartoum if the violence intensifies.
According to Phil Ventura, a spokesman for the US Defence Department, the Pentagon is engaging in “prudent planning” for a variety of scenarios in Sudan where a dispute between generals commanding a paramilitary organization and the army may escalate into a full-scale war.
Vedant Patel, a spokeswoman for the US State Department, emphasized that there is “no military solution” to the problem.
The violence between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces is strongly condemned by the United States, he declared.
Patel stated that all members of the US embassy staff in Khartoum are still alive and well. He advised Americans living there to “remain indoors,” stay off the roads, take cover, and forgo travel.
Even though there has been significant fighting between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the army in the capital Khartoum, the group has declared that a truce will soon be implemented.
Eid-Al-Fitr
In a statement, the RSF pledged to uphold a 72-hour truce that would go into effect at 6 a.m. (04:00 GMT) on Friday, the first day of the Muslim festival Eid Al-Fitr.
According to the announcement, the ceasefire was reached “to open humanitarian corridors to evacuate citizens and give them the opportunity to greet their families” and coincided with the auspicious Eid al-Fitr.
Early on Friday, loud shelling shook Khartoum, and the RSF accused the army of launching a “sweeping attack” on the city.
A few minutes before the paramilitary truce was to begin, an Al Jazeera journalist in the city’s north reported an exchange of fire between the RSF and the army.
The army had not stated if it would uphold a truce.
