The former dictator of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, is said to be in a military hospital in the capital Khartoum, according to the army. Previously, it was puzzling where the 79-year-old is, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on an arrest warrant. As of Tuesday, there was conflicting information about his whereabouts. The army’s Facebook page said al-Bashir was being treated in a military hospital and was being guarded by the police. The message could not be verified independently.
Al-Bashir, who ruled Sudan in an authoritarian manner for 30 years, was actually in Kobar prison in Khartoum after being convicted. According to media reports, the prison police released the prisoners over the weekend because they were unable to provide them with basic supplies. This raised fears of further escalation of violence and chaos. The ICC has been looking for al-Bashir since 2009 with an arrest warrant for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Darfur conflict. In Sudan, al-Bashir was convicted of corruption, and a trial is underway for a coup at the beginning of his tenure in 1989.
The transfer of al-Bashir to a military hospital came amid a power struggle between the army and the paramilitary that had been going on for almost two weeks. De facto President Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who is also the supreme commander of the army, wants to use the military to oust his deputy Mohammed Hamdan Daglo. He is the leader of the influential paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The two generals had taken over the leadership of the country on the Horn of Africa through two joint military coups in 2019 and 2021.
SOS Children’s Villages attacked and evacuated
A correspondent for the Al Jazeera broadcaster reported from Khartoum on Wednesday that the situation for the population was becoming increasingly unbearable. Food is becoming increasingly scarce. The reporter spoke of a fragile ceasefire. Many people cannot flee the city because they don’t have the money to do so. Gasoline is also becoming increasingly scarce. A local resident reported on Twitter that after a relatively quiet phase, there had been air raids again since the early afternoon.
The aid organization SOS Children’s Villages announced that its facility in the capital had been attacked by gunmen. The children and young people being looked after as well as the employees had to be evacuated. A total of 68 children and 19 employees were housed in rented apartments in other districts of Khartoum.
United States National Security Council communications director John Kirby confirmed the death of another US citizen in Sudan on Wednesday. “We can confirm that a second American citizen died yesterday,” Kirby said. He did not give details. According to information from the World Health Organization (WHO), at least around 460 people died and almost 4,100 were injured in the fighting, which began on April 15. However, the true number is likely to be significantly higher.