Sudan: Fighting intensifies despite humanitarian ban, more than 50 killed

The World Food Program said it was suspending operations in the poor country after three of its workers were killed.

The fighting between the powerful armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has sparked an international outcry and regional concern, including border closures by neighbors Egypt and Chad.

Deafening explosions and intense gunfire razed buildings in the densely populated northern and southern suburbs of the capital, Khartoum, as tanks rumbled through the streets and fighter jets roared by, witnesses said.

Fighting continued after nightfall on Sunday as Sudanese huddled in their homes amid fears of a prolonged conflict that could plunge the country into deep chaos, ending the long-awaited transition to a civilian-led democracy. Dashed expectations.

The violence erupted in the early hours of Saturday after weeks of a power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, who heads the heavily armed RSF.

The pro-democracy Central Committee of Sudan Doctors reported “tens of deaths” among security forces, as well as 56 civilian casualties and nearly 600 wounded.

Late on Sunday the military said they had “agreed to a UN proposal to open a safe passage for humanitarian affairs”, which included evacuating the wounded, for three hours, which ended at 1700 GMT.

The RSF ratified the measure, although they said it would last for four hours, and that both sides retained the right to “respond in the event of a breach” by the other side.

Despite the halt, heavy gunfire could still be heard in central Khartoum near the airport, and thick black smoke billowed from the surrounding area.

Ahmed Hamid, 34, from a northern Khartoum suburb, said earlier: “The gunfire and explosions are continuous.”

Ahmed Seif, another Khartoum resident, described the situation as very worrying and said: “It doesn’t look like it’s going to calm down any time soon.”

Daglo’s RSF say they have captured the presidential palace, Khartoum airport and other strategic locations, but the army says they are still in control.

As the fighting continued, the stench of gunpowder spread through the streets of Khartoum, leaving soldiers deserted.

Doctors demanded safe corridors for ambulances and a ceasefire to treat the victims as the roads were too dangerous to take casualties to hospital.

– ‘Astonished’ –

Fighting also broke out in the western Darfur region and the eastern border state of Kasala, where witness Hussein Saleh said the army fired artillery at a paramilitary camp.

The United Nations said its WFP staff was killed in fighting in northern Darfur on Saturday and announced a “temporary suspension of all operations in Sudan”.

Following his death, as well as that of other civilians, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for “justice without delay”. He previously warned that an increase in fighting would “further exacerbate an already precarious humanitarian situation”.

The United Nations says a third of Sudan’s population is in need of humanitarian aid.

WFP said an aircraft operated by the organization at Khartoum airport was also badly damaged.

WFP chief Cindy McCain said, “We cannot do our work to save lives if the safety of our teams and partners is not guaranteed.”

– ‘No negotiation’ –

Created in 2013, the RSF emerged from the Janjaweed militia, which then-President Omar al-Bashir featured in allegations of war crimes against non-Arab ethnic minorities in Darfur a decade earlier.

The planned integration of the RSF into the regular army was a key element of negotiations to finalize a deal that is expected to restore Sudan’s civilian transition and end the politico-economic crisis triggered by the military’s 2021 coup by Burhan and Dagalo. was done for

Appeals to end the fighting came from across the region and around the world, including the US, Britain, China, the European Union and Russia, while Pope Francis said he was following the events “with concern” and urged dialogue. Are.

Following a meeting on the situation in Sudan, the African Union said a senior official would travel there “immediately” on a ceasefire mission.

The Arab League bloc held an emergency meeting in Cairo at the request of Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok, at a press conference in Abu Dhabi, described the humanitarian situation as “catastrophic”, called for a ceasefire, and appealed to Arab countries in particular for a “helping hand”. .

But both the generals did not appear in the mood for talks, calling each other criminals.

His October 2021 coup triggered cuts in international aid and nearly weekly protests met with a deadly crackdown.

Burhan, who has risen through the ranks under the now-jailed Bashir’s three-decade rule, has said the coup was “necessary” to bring more factions into politics.

Dagalo later called the coup a “mistake” that failed to bring about change and reintroduce remnants of Bashir’s regime, ousted by the military after mass protests in 2019.