Table of Contents
Indians in Sudan have been urged to seek shelter after explosions and gunfire in the capital city as paramilitaries and the regular army traded strikes on one other’s bases, according to the Indian embassy there.
Both sides traded accusations of instigating the conflict.
All Indians are asked to exercise extreme caution, stay inside, and refrain from going outside with immediate effect in light of the reported shootings and clashes. Keep cool and wait for developments, too, the Indian Embassy in Khartoum urged in a tweet.
After growing tensions between military chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, over the proposed integration of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) into the regular army, violence broke out in Sudan on Saturday.
Near an RSF base in south Khartoum, witnesses reported “confrontations” as well as loud explosions and gunshots.
Uncontrolled Situations in Sudan
After growing tensions between military chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, over the proposed integration of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) into the regular army, violence broke out in Sudan on Saturday.
Near an RSF base in south Khartoum, witnesses reported “confrontations” as well as loud explosions and gunshots.
Following reports of fighters entering the airport compound in truckloads, the RSF said its forces had taken control of Khartoum Airport.
Gunfire was heard close to the airport, close to Burhan’s home, and in Khartoum North. According to AFP, as artillery exchanges shook the streets, civilians could be seen scurrying for cover.
Both sides assigned blame to the other for starting the conflict.
A massive army force unexpectedly attacked paramilitaries in camps near Soba, Khartoum, on Saturday, according to a statement from the Rapid Support Forces.
North of Khartoum, at Merowe, the RSF said that its fighters had also seized control of the airport.
The army attributed the intense combat to the paramilitaries.
According to army spokesman Brigadier General Nabil Abdallah tells AFP, “fighters from the RSF attacked several army camps in Khartoum and other parts of Sudan.”
Despite continued fighting, the army is doing its part to protect the nation.
The bridges across the Nile connecting Khartoum with Omdurman and Khartoum North were barricaded by troops. The entrance to the presidential palace was also blocked off.
The military’s Burhan and his deputy, the RSF commander, have been at odds over negotiations to seal a deal to put the country back under civilian administration and put an end to the crisis started by their 2021 coup.
One of the main areas of disagreement, according to observers, is the plan to incorporate the RSF into the regular army.
An accord with civilian factions outlining a transition plan has twice had to be postponed due to eleventh-hour negotiations between the two men over the specifics.
The regular army stated that it was “sounding the alarm as the country is at a dangerous historical turning point” in a statement released on Thursday.
The army stated that “the risks are rising as the RSF command mobilised and distributed forces in the capital and other cities.”
According to the report, the deployment “took place without the consent of, or even just coordination with, the armed forces command” and has “exacerbated security risks and increased tensions among security forces.” Also Check: G20 Challenges for India
The RSF defended its positioning, claiming that its fighters “move throughout the country to achieve security and stability” and that they collaborate with the regular army.
The Janjaweed militia, which the then-president Omar al-Bashir had unleashed on non-Arab ethnic minority in western Darfur ten years earlier and which was accused of war crimes, gave rise to the RSF, which was founded in 2013.
Daglo has recently claimed that the 2021 coup was a “mistake” that did little to improve Sudan and revived Bashir’s dictatorship, which was overthrown by the army in 2019 after a month of widespread protests.
