Violence Rocks Sudanese Capital as Diplomats Push for Cease-Fire

Gunfire and explosions rocked the Sudanese capital for a third day as diplomats intensified efforts to stop clashes between the army and a paramilitary group from escalating into a full-blown civil war.

(Bloomberg) — Gunfire and explosions rocked the Sudanese capital for a third day as diplomats intensified efforts to stop clashes between the army and a paramilitary group from escalating into a full-blown civil war.

The head of the African Union, Moussa Faki Mahamat, prepared to travel to Khartoum to try and negotiate an end to fighting that has reached “a dangerous level,” the continental body said in a statement. The violence has left at 97 civilians dead, according to the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors, a pro-democracy medical group.

Representatives from the United Arab Emirates, the UK, US and Saudi Arabia — a group known as the quad who tried to restore elements of civilian rule after a 2021 coup in the North African country — were also frantically scrambling to stop the clashes by making calls to both parties, said western diplomats who asked not to be identified.

Read more: What’s Behind the Fighting in Sudan and What It Means: QuickTake

The conflict erupted on Saturday after a long-simmering dispute between the army and the Rapid Support Forces militia exploded into a battle for control of the nation. The two sides traded claims on holding key infrastructure such as the international airport in Khartoum and the public broadcaster.

The fighting 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 was being closely monitored by Western powers and Russia and China, which covet its strategic Red Sea coastline and mineral resources.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, speaking together Monday at a Group of Seven foreign ministers’ meeting in Karuizawa, Japan, both called on the nation’s generals to stop fighting.

“People in Sudan, want the military back in the barracks,” Blinken said. “They want democracy. They want a civilian led government. Sudan needs to return to that path.”

Read more: Sudan Clashes Put China’s CNPC Oil Assets at Risk: Credit React

–With assistance from Iain Marlow.

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