The death toll from fighting between Sudan’s army and a rival paramilitary group rose to at least 56, with hundreds of injured civilians and soldiers filling hospitals in Khartoum as violence in the capital continued for a second day.
(Bloomberg) — The death toll from fighting between Sudan’s army and a rival paramilitary group rose to at least 56, with hundreds of injured civilians and soldiers filling hospitals in Khartoum as violence in the capital continued for a second day.
Clashes erupted on Saturday after a long-simmering dispute between the two sides exploded into a full-blown battle for control of the North African nation. The military and the Rapid Support Forces militia traded claims on holding key infrastructure from the international airport in Khartoum to the army’s headquarters and the public broadcaster.
“There are injuries and deaths among civilians who were unable to reach hospitals and health facilities due to the difficulty of movement and the regular forces’ interception of ambulances and paramedics,” the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors, a pro-democracy medical group, said in a statement on Sunday.
The conflict between the army under Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF throws into chaos plans for a power-sharing government that was supposed to lead Sudan to democratic elections after a 2021 coup. A deal was seen as a way to restore billions of dollars of frozen aid and reestablish Western influence in a country coveted by Russia and China for its strategic Red Sea coastline and mineral resources.
Fighting engulfed the airport, presidential palace and other parts of the capital, with reports of air strikes and widespread violence in other cities. Residents and Western diplomats reported shooting and loud blasts in several areas across Khartoum on Saturday. Airlines canceled flights out of Khartoum and began to avoid Sudanese airspace.
UN Deaths
Three local United Nations staff members were killed in the city of el-Fasher in the western region of Darfur on Saturday evening after fighting broke out at a military base in the area, according to people briefed on the matter and an internal UN report seen by Bloomberg.
The UN Security Council on Saturday urged all parties to stop hostilities and restore calm, urging that humanitarian access be maintained and the safety of UN personnel ensured.
The US and China also pushed for a cease-fire.
“We urge all actors to stop the violence immediately and avoid further escalations or troop mobilizations and continue talks to resolve outstanding issues,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
China called for “a cease-fire from both sides to avoid an escalation of the situation. China hopes all sides in Sudan will enhance communications to jointly push forward a political transition,” the government said in a statement.
Scorched Earth
Although it lacks the military’s tanks and air power, the RSF — led by one-time camel trader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo — is a seasoned fighting force notorious for its scorched-earth tactics that may field as many as 70,000 fighters, according to the International Crisis Group. That raises the prospect of an extended conflict that could also draw in Sudan’s neighbors.
The RSF has its origins in the janjaweed militias that terrorized Darfur during the conflict earlier this century. Dagalo is thought to harbor his own presidential ambitions and has forged close ties with Russia in recent years.
“This fight has been building within the security ranks for months, even years,” said Cameron Hudson, a senior associate at the CSIS Africa Program. “There’s a lot of pent up frustration and resentment. None of that suggests that this will be over quickly.”
Read: Sudan’s Slide From Democracy to Coup and Toward Chaos: QuickTake
As part of the proposed deal to restore power to civilians, the RSF — which has its own command structure, wealth and commercial interests — would be folded into the regular military.
Each side blamed the other for the violence. Speaking to Al-Jazeera TV on Saturday, Dagalo accused Burhan of acting on behalf of those in the country who were still in favor of Islamist dictator Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted in 2019 amid a popular revolt.
“We will catch Burhan and bring him to justice,” he said. “We will end this in the coming days.”
The military chief, meanwhile, declared in a statement there would be “no negotiations and no dialogue before the dissolving of Hemedti’s rebellious militia,” using a common nickname for the RSF leader.
The Sudanese Professionals Association, a coalition of labor unions that leads demonstrations against military rule, called on its members to form peace committees and protect local neighborhoods.
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