Almost 50 dead in Sudan amid brutal clashes between army and paramilitary forces. Concerns about a full-scale civil war increased when violent battles between the Sudanese army and a rival paramilitary organization went on for a second day.
For a second day of violence, powerful explosions and gunfire shook Khartoum and neighboring communities. In the federal capital, more than thirty civilians—including WFP employees—were slain.
Parts of the military headquarters in the capital Khartoum were visible in massive flames, and Port Sudan, the western province of Darfur, and other nearby locations also experienced intense gunfire and back-to-back explosions as opposing paramilitaries claimed to seize control of the airport.
The bases of the opposing force were allegedly under the control of the Sudanese army in Khartoum and other states. On social media, the hashtags #Sudan, #Khartoum, and similar variations are trending alongside videos of the Sudanese army using tanks and aircraft to target the Rapid Support Forces rebels.
General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, commander of the armed forces, and General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, head of the Rapid Support Forces, engaged in a power struggle that led to the recent bloodshed. In the coup that halted the North African nation’s progress toward democracy in 2021, Burhan and Dagalo, former friends, assume power. Both sides appear unwilling to back down as fighting apparently continues unabatedly.
RSF claimed to be the best force to rule an African country where one-third of the population depends on international aid, while the Army referred to RSF as a rebel militia.
The argument over whether the RSF should be incorporated into the regular army and who should be in charge of the nation’s governance brought two sides to face to face.
World leaders including the US Secretary of State, UN Chief, EU Foreign Policy Chief, Arab League Head, and other authorities called on both groups to cease violence as the nation of nearly 45 million people descended into civil war.
As prolonged turmoil will worsen misery in the crisis-hit nation, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, and other states all made appeals.
More than 50 dead in Sudan amid brutal clashes between the army and paramilitary forces.
Sudanese Air Force MiG-29 fighter jet fires unguided missiles at the headquarters of the Rapid Reaction Force (RSF) in Khartoum. pic.twitter.com/Dku98hSgo3
— Clash Report (@clashreport) April 16, 2023
Also read: Half of Sudan’s population faces food crisis
