Deadly clashes broke out on Saturday in several parts of Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, as months of rising tensions between rival factions of the armed forces appeared to turn into an all-out battle for control of one of Africa’s biggest countries.
Fighting that erupted early on Saturday at a military base in Khartoum quickly spread to the presidential palace, the international airport and the headquarters of the state broadcaster. As residents cowered in their homes amid gunfire and explosions and warplanes screeched over rooftops at low altitudes, it was not immediately clear who was in charge of the country.
The pro-democracy Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors said on Twitter that the clashes had killed and injured many people, but did not give an exact figure.
The violence came after weeks of mounting tensions between the Sudanese army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, a powerful paramilitary group led by Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan. The two generals united to seize power in a coup in October 2021, making them effectively the leader and deputy leader of Sudan.
But in recent months they have publicly fallen out, clashing in public and quietly deploying extra troops and equipment to military camps in Khartoum and across the country. American and other foreign officials have been leading efforts to persuade the two generals to transfer power to a civilian-led government. Instead, they are clashing violently. In a series of statements, the Rapid Support Forces militia accused the army of attacking its forces at one of its bases in south Khartoum. They claimed they seized the city’s airport and “completely controlled” Khartoum’s Republican Palace, the seat of the country’s presidency.
The group also said it seized an airport and air base in the northern city of Merowe some 350km northwest of Khartoum. The Associated Press was unable to verify those claims.
The Sudanese army said fighting broke out after RSF troops tried to attack its forces in the southern part of the capital, accusing the group of trying to take control of strategic locations in Khartoum, including the palace.
The military also declared the RSF a rebel force and described the paramilitary’s statements as “lies”. A military official told the AP that fighter jets took off from a military base north of Omdurman and attacked the RSF’s positions.
Saudi plane under fire
A Saudi Arabian airlines plane at Sudan’s Khartoum airport came under fire during clashes on Saturday, the state-owned carrier said.
It said it had moved its passengers, crew and staff from the airport to the Saudi embassy in Khartoum, and had suspended flights to and from Sudan until further notice.
New York Times News Service and AP/PTI
