Khartoum
Fighting continues in Sudan after ceasefire
The army and paramilitary units of the former vice president have been fighting for supremacy in Sudan since mid-April 2023. photo
© Uncredited/AP/dpa
During the ceasefire, Sudanese should stock up on food and medicine. Meanwhile, Doctors Without Borders clarifies the circumstances under which a video of the paramilitaries and their team was made.
After a 24-hour ceasefire was largely observed, fighting broke out again in Sudan’s capital Khartoum. This was reported by eyewitnesses and several media.
Accordingly, shortly after the end of the ceasefire at 6:00 a.m. local time, the Sudanese army is said to have carried out renewed airstrikes against positions of the opposing paramilitary RSF in the Khartoum suburbs of Bahri and Omdurman. Artillery and anti-aircraft missiles could also be heard.
As before, the ceasefire was brokered by the US and Saudi Arabia. The aim was to enable humanitarian care. According to the media and eyewitnesses, things actually remained quiet in Khartoum.
The situation elsewhere in the country, particularly in the Darfur region, which has been affected in part by severe violence, has been difficult to assess. After previous ceasefires had repeatedly failed, the mediators had warned that a breach could mean the termination of negotiations with the parties in Saudi Jeddah. It was initially unclear when talks would continue.
In Sudan, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of former deputy ruler Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, a quasi-army that emerged from militias and has tens of thousands of fighters, have been fighting the armed forces led by de facto head of state Abdel Fattah al-Burhan since mid-April .
The two generals seized power together in 2019 and 2021, but later fell out. A transition to democracy called for by the civilian population in the country in northeast Africa, which has around 46 million inhabitants, did not materialize.
Doctors Without Borders explain the background to the RSR video
The aid organization Doctors Without Borders reported on Saturday that their employees had been coerced into making a propaganda video in favor of the RSF. Your convoy was stopped when leaving a warehouse. “The RSF asked us to make a statement on camera about the RSF’s handling of this case and we were obliged to do so so that our convoy could continue its journey.”
The RSF released a video on Friday showing a man in uniform with a group of MSF workers. “Have you been the subject of illegal activities, blackmail, threats or violence by RSF personnel?” the man asks, according to the subtitles. One employee replies, among other things, that humanitarian laws are respected and one can work without interference from any party.
MSF and other aid workers have repeatedly complained of looting and attacks since the conflict erupted. “MSF teams responded to the questions reaffirming MSF’s humanitarian principles: we are not affiliated with any party to the conflict and our sole objective is to assist conflict-affected populations in need of medical assistance,” MSF said. “Vital humanitarian aid must not be exploited.”
The World Health Organization counted 48 confirmed attacks on health workers by early June. According to the UN emergency relief agency OCHA, with reference to figures from the Ministry of Health, at least 780 people were killed and 5,800 injured in the conflict by the beginning of June. Around 1.6 million people are fleeing.