North Africa
Heavy fighting in Sudan following escalation between rulers
Smoke over the Sudanese capital Khartoum. photo
© Marwan Ali/AP
Tanks fire in Sudan’s capital Khartoum. Warplanes fly through the smoke, an airport is stormed. Numerous deaths are feared. The power struggle between Sudan’s supreme commander and his deputy has escalated into open combat.
In Sudan, the army and a key paramilitary group have engaged in heavy fighting in a power struggle. Heavy artillery fire is being reported in the capital Khartoum into the evening.
The fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) involved in the transitional government focused on the airport, the presidential palace and the state radio station. Tanks and fighter planes were deployed. Around 46 million people live in the north-east African country.
There was initially no official information on the dead or injured. However, numerous deaths were feared in the shelling that had been going on since the morning. The Sudanese medical committee spoke in the evening of a large number of victims that would still be counted. A man died in a car that was run over by a tank, the dpa learned. At least four people lost their lives in the shelling in the north of the city. Residents posted online pictures of munitions hitting homes.
Fight in multiple states
A dpa reporter reported that the streets in northern Khartoum were largely deserted. Shots, artillery and explosions could be heard from at least three directions. According to the media, the military and RSF fought it in several states. According to the RSF, they arrested Egyptian soldiers in the city of Merowe. Egypt works closely with Sudan. There was no confirmation of this.
The RSF said Sudanese soldiers entered their headquarters on Saturday morning. RSF forces attacked Khartoum airport. Several civilian aircraft were reportedly destroyed. The RSF initially reported that they had taken control of the presidential palace and the airport. The Sudanese army disagreed. The information provided by both sides could not be independently confirmed. The Luftwaffe attacked RSF bases. According to eyewitnesses, at least two tanks were deployed in Khartoum.
Since the fall of long-term ruler Omar al-Bashir in April 2019, the military led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has held power in the country. The army and RSF under leader Mohammed Hamdan Daglo had jointly taken power again in autumn 2021, but tensions between the two military leaders have increased in recent months. The dispute is delaying the transition to a civilian government promised by ruler al-Burhan. In the event of an escalation, violent clashes were feared that could lead to a civil war.
In a TV interview, Al-Burhan accused the RSF of attacking strategic targets and his house. The situation is under control again, he told Al-Jazeera broadcaster despite the fighting on Saturday afternoon. RSF leader Mohammed Hamdan Daglo called on al-Jazeera to bring al-Burhan and his allies to justice. Al-Burhan will either be captured “or die like a dog,” he said. He blamed those in power for the conflict.
Global Concern
The escalation sparked concern around the world. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on the parties to the conflict “to cease hostilities immediately, restore calm and initiate dialogue to resolve the current crisis.” Any further escalation will have devastating effects on the population. The countries in the region must contribute to defusing the conflict.
Guterres spoke to the leader of the paramilitary group involved. Guterres spoke to General Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, also known as Hemeti, of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the UN said. A meeting with army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan should follow “as soon as possible”.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also called for an end to the violence.
The Foreign Office in Berlin spoke of “heavy armed conflicts” that also affected Khartoum Airport. Flight operations had apparently been suspended there, it said. The situation is unclear. “Stay in a safe place and avoid all driving movements,” the ministry warned. Airlines from Saudi Arabia and Egypt suspended their flights to the country.
The RSF had mobilized their units just a few days ago after the military again delayed the appointment of a prime minister and thus the handover of power. Observers saw this as a threatening gesture by Daglo against Commander-in-Chief al-Burhan. Most recently, Daglo spoke out in favor of a rapid transition to a civilian government, thereby opposing al-Burhan.
In 2013, the RSF was formed from militias in the western state of Darfur. During the decades-long conflict there, the RSF were seen as brutal supporters of the Arab-dominated government against the African minority. The group and its leader Daglo have been blamed for human rights abuses such as mass rapes.
contested power relations
After the fall of long-term dictator al-Bashir in 2019, Daglo was considered the most powerful man in Sudan. However, al-Burhan, the inspector general of the Sudanese armed forces, took over the business of government. This retaliated with Daglo and initially refrained from incorporating the RSF into the state military. Daglo became al-Burhan’s deputy in the ruling transitional council.
In 2021 there was another military coup. Previously, there had been protests against the military and civilian government in the economically troubled country, which the military had deployed in the meantime. In the course of the transformation, the RSF would now have to be incorporated into the military. This worsened the relationship between the two generals. Daglo insinuates that al-Burhan does not want to give up his position as de facto head of state.
Sudan’s former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, who served from 2019 to 2021 before being ousted by the military, called for a peaceful solution. It’s not too late for that, said the politician, and warned against fighting his own people.