Sudanese Army, Rivals Battle For Control, Killing Dozens

(CTN News) – Despite mounting diplomatic pressure, Sudanese military and paramilitary groups fought for control of the chaos-stricken nation on Sunday.

Armed vehicles, truck-mounted machine guns and war planes fought Sunday in Khartoum, Omdurman and at flashpoints across Sudan. Both sides have tens of thousands of fighters in the capital.

Among the dead were 56 civilians, including three employees of the U.N. system. Doctors’ Syndicate says dozens more rival forces have died. Over 600 people, civilians and fighters, were wounded.

There have been clashes between Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan and Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, head of the Rapid Support Forces. A coup orchestrated by both generals in October 2021 disrupted Sudan’s democratic transition.

A deal with political parties was delayed despite internationally backed negotiations in recent months.

Khartoum International Airport and the State TV were attacked in Khartoum and Omdurman, respectively. Early on Sunday morning, RSF fighters clashed with troops at the military headquarters.

The battles haven’t stopped,” said prominent rights advocate Tahani Abass. The streets are filled with gunfire. Residential areas are at war.”

Her family spent the night huddling on the ground floor. “No one could sleep and the kids were screaming and crying,” she said. As she spoke with The Associated Press, gunfire was heard.

Both the military and RSF claimed to control strategic locations in Khartoum. Independent verification was not possible.

There was no sign of negotiation from either side.

According to Al Arabyia, Dagalo said he ruled out negotiations and asked Burhan to surrender. The RSF was branded a “rebellious militia” by Burhan’s military.

Diplomatic pressure mounted.

Diplomats including the State Department chief, the EU foreign policy chief, and the Arab League chief urged the sides to stop fighting. United Nations Security Council, at odds over other crises around the world, called for an immediate end to hostilities.

Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates also appealed to Sudanese .

Foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were consulted by Blinken. Early Sunday, he said, “We agreed that hostilities should end immediately without precondition.”

As events unfold in Sudanese,

Pope Francis expressed concern. The Sudanese people are near to me, and I invite prayers for peace, harmony, and the laying down of arms,” the pontiff said in remarks Sunday.

Following clashes in Sudanese that led to the deaths of three agency employees and damage to an aircraft, the World Food Program has temporarily suspended operations.

In the western Darfur region, tens of thousands of displaced people live in camps after years of genocidal civil war.

Three WFP employees were killed in clashes in Kebkabiya, North Darfur. Injuries to two agency employees.

Darfur charity spokesman Adam Regal says dozens of people have been killed or wounded at a camp for displaced people since Saturday.

Military officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media said the two sides fought for control of Nyala’s airport.

Several provinces along the border with Ethiopia and Eritrea were also affected by fighting. Bases and RSF were the centers of battle.

Conflicts have resulted from disagreements over the integration of the RSF, led by Dagalo, into the armed forces. Sudanese transition agreement has given political groups permission to merge.

Pro-democracy activists blame Burhan and Dagalo for abuses against protesters across the country over the past four years, including the massacre of over 120 protesters outside the military’s Khartoum headquarters in June 2019. Several groups have called for their accountability. Darfur atrocities have long been attributed to the RSF.

After gaining independence in the 1950s, Sudanese has had its share of military coups and civil wars.

Six African nations border the country, and the Red Sea forms its strategic coastline. A decade-old civil war led to South Sudan’s secession in 2011.

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