Battles in Khartoum: power struggle in Sudan – number of victims increases

The heavy fighting in Sudan does not stop. Residential areas are shelled, the number of victims increases. The EU ambassador to Sudan was attacked at his residence.

Heavy fighting between rival army and paramilitary camps has continued in Sudan. In the power struggle that has been raging for three days between the Sudanese army under the command of the Sudanese general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the rival paramilitary units of his deputy Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, the fronts have hardened further. The number of civilian casualties is likely to continue to rise.

The German UN mediator Volker Perthes criticized that international organizations and civilians were not being protected in the skirmishes between the army and the paramilitary group “Rapid Support Forces” (RSF). The United Nations assumed at least 185 dead and 1,800 injured by Monday evening – including both combatants and civilians. According to Perthes, fierce fighting continued in the capital Khartoum around the closed bridges, the international airport and the headquarters of the military and the RSF.

RSF leaders for 24-hour ceasefire

In the morning, the leader of the RSF, Daglo, spoke out in favor of a 24-hour ceasefire. “The RSF agree to a ceasefire to allow the evacuation of civilians and the wounded,” Daglo wrote on Twitter.

The Sudanese army, however, denied having knowledge of a ceasefire. Several attempts at a ceasefire initially failed on Sunday and Monday, according to UN mediator Perthes.

Amnesty: Civilians trapped in the battlefield

According to Amnesty International, the use of heavy weapons, including artillery, tanks and jet aircraft, wreaked havoc in densely populated areas of Khartoum. Amnesty said civilians were trapped in the middle of the battlefield. In view of the confusing situation and the contradictory information provided by both parties to the conflict, it remained unclear who had the upper hand in the power struggle between the rival camps. Residents of the capital Khartoum reported continuous gunfire and explosions.

At least 12 hospitals in the greater capital area have been closed due to damage from the fighting, according to the Doctors’ Syndicate, the AP news agency reports. The Sudanese Medical Committee called on the parties to the conflict to stop their “constant attacks” on hospitals, ambulances and medical staff.

Fighting continued not only in Khartoum, but also in other parts of the country – for example in the city of Merowe, which has an important airport, and in the city of Njala in Darfur. The governor of North Darfur, Nimr Abdul Rahman, told the dpa news agency that at least 65 people had been killed and 160 others injured in his region alone. Electricity and water supplies have been disrupted in parts of North Darfur due to the violence, Rahman said.

US diplomatic convoy under fire

During the fighting between the army and paramilitaries, a US diplomatic convoy apparently came under fire. The convoy was fired upon by fighters linked to the RSF on Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. The people in the convoy are safe. He called RSF leader Dagalo and army chief al-Burhan to make it clear “that any attacks that threaten or endanger our diplomats are completely unacceptable.”

The G7 states demanded an immediate and unconditional end to the fighting from the conflicting parties. “We call on all actors to refrain from violence, to return to negotiations and to take active steps to reduce tensions,” said the concluding paper of the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting, which ended today in the Japanese resort town of Karuizawa. The safety of civilians and diplomatic and humanitarian personnel must also be guaranteed.

UN mediators: Leaders blame each other

UN mediator Perthes said he would try again today to negotiate a resilient ceasefire between the conflicting parties. In talks with their leaders, both sides blamed each other for the escalation. According to him, Al-Burhan and Daglo are under a lot of pressure. However, Perthes emphasized that they were open to talks with the United Nations and other international actors.

The EU is also trying to convince the conflicting parties to consider a humanitarian ceasefire, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday evening. He did not give details of the peace efforts. A spokeswoman had previously reported on Borrell’s crisis talks with top politicians from Kenya, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. Three East African presidents and a representative of the African Union are to travel to Khartoum as mediators. Due to the ongoing fighting, which was also fought at the international airport in Khartoum, this has not been possible so far.

EU ambassador O’Hara attacked

The EU ambassador to Sudan, Aidan O’Hara, was attacked in his own residence, according to Borrell. The act represents a serious violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the EU foreign policy representative wrote on Twitter. The security of diplomatic facilities and staff is primarily the responsibility of the Sudanese authorities and is an obligation under international law.

Borrell did not provide any information on the type of attack and the perpetrator or perpetrators. He also left it unclear whether the ambassador was injured or escaped with a fright. In the evening in Brussels, diplomatic circles said the ambassador was fine and had not been injured.

The power struggle in Sudan is increasingly causing chaos in Africa’s third largest country in terms of area, with around 46 million inhabitants and rich oil and gold deposits. The broadcaster Sky News reported that al-Burhan signaled his willingness to talk in a telephone interview on Monday. “Every war ends in negotiations, even if the opponent is defeated,” he said accordingly. The army will win – “definitely, God willing”. However, al-Burhan did not provide any specific information about possible negotiations.