KHARTOUM, Sudan
Fighting between the army and paramilitaries in Sudan has killed around 200 people and wounded 1,800, damaging hospitals and hampering aid after three days of urban warfare.
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| Smoke billows above residential buildings in Khartoum on April 16, 2023 as fighting in Sudan raged in battles between rival generals. |
A weeks-long power struggle
exploded into deadly violence Saturday between the forces of two generals who
seized power in a 2021 coup: Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his
deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support
Forces (RSF).
Analysts say the fighting in
the capital is unprecedented and could be prolonged, despite regional and
global calls for a ceasefire as diplomats mobilise.
US Secretary of State Antony
Blinken said Tuesday he had spoken with the two generals and "underscored
the urgent need for a ceasefire".
ALSO READ: IGAD calls for ceasefire in latest Sudan conflict
"Too many civilian lives
have already been lost," Blinken tweeted, adding he had "stressed the
importance of ensuring the safety of diplomatic personnel and aid
workers".
Following the call, Daglo said
in a tweet that the pair had "discussed pressing issues in Sudan",
adding he was grateful for Blinken and the US's "commitment to restoring
stability in Sudan".Sudanese soldiers, loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, posing for a picture at the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) base in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan on April 16, 2023.
Blinken made his calls while
in Japan for a meeting of G7 foreign ministers, who also urged the warring
sides to "end hostilities immediately" and "ensure the safety of
all civilians".
The European Union's
ambassador to Sudan was attacked in his home in Khartoum on Monday, the bloc's
top diplomat Josep Borrell said. A spokesperson told AFP the
veteran diplomat was "OK" following the assault.
Battles have taken place
throughout the vast country and there are fears of regional spill-over.
Terrified residents of the
capital are spending the last and holiest days of Ramadan watching from their
windows as tanks roll through the streets, buildings shake and smoke from fires
triggered by the fighting hangs in the air.
ALSO READ: Fighting rages in Sudan despite humanitarian pause
The conflict has seen air
strikes, artillery and heavy gunfire.
Those compelled to venture out face queues for bread and petrol at outlets that are not shuttered. Residents are also dealing with power outages.
Volker Perthes, the head of
the United Nations mission to Sudan, told the Security Council in a closed-door
session that at least 185 people had been killed and another 1,800 wounded.
"It's a very fluid
situation so it's very difficult to say where the balance is shifting to,"
Perthes told reporters after the meeting.
Earlier Monday, UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres again urged Sudan's warring parties to
"immediately cease hostilities". He warned that further escalation
"could be devastating for the country and the region".
Medics in Sudan had earlier
given a death toll of nearly 100 civilians and "dozens" of fighters
from both sides, but the number of casualties was thought to be far higher,
with many wounded unable to reach hospitals.
The official doctors' union warned
fighting had "heavily damaged" multiple hospitals in Khartoum and
other cities, with some completely "out of service".
The World Health Organisation
had already warned that several Khartoum hospitals tending to wounded civilians
"have run out of blood, transfusion equipment, intravenous fluids and
other vital supplies".
In the western region of
Darfur, international medical aid organisation Doctors Without Borders (MSF)
reported receiving 136 wounded patients at the only hospital in El Fasher still
operating in North Darfur state.
"The majority of the
wounded are civilians who were caught in the crossfire — among them are many
children," MSF's Cyrus Paye said.
Due to limited surgical
capacity, "11 people died from their injuries in the first 48 hours of the
conflict".
Three UN World Food Programme
staff were also among those killed on Saturday in Darfur, where humanitarian
missions have had medical and other supplies looted, according to Save the
Children and MSF.
A number of organisations have
temporarily suspended operations in the country, where one-third of the
population needs aid.
"This renewed fighting only aggravates what was already a fragile situation, forcing UN agencies and our humanitarian partners to temporarily shutter many of our more than 250 programmes across Sudan," said UN emergency relief coordinator Martin Griffiths.
Influential northern neighbour
Egypt said it had discussed with Saudi Arabia, South Sudan and Djibouti — all
close allies of Sudan — "the need to make every effort to preserve
stability and safety".
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
called on the two warring parties to "return to the negotiating
table" and said he was working on the return of Egyptian military
"trainers" captured Saturday at an air base by RSF forces.
There are no more civilian
flights arriving in Khartoum, where fighting has damaged aircraft.
On Twitter, Daglo earlier
called on the international community to intervene against Burhan, branding him
a "radical Islamist who is bombing civilians from the air".
"We will continue to
pursue Al-Burhan and bring him to justice," said Daglo, whose RSF and its
predecessor the Janjaweed in Darfur have previously been accused of atrocities
and war crimes.
Army statements call the RSF
"a rebel militia" intent on "engaging near populated
areas".
The fighting broke out after
bitter disagreements between Burhan and Daglo over the planned integration of
the RSF into the regular army — a key condition for a final deal aimed at
ending a crisis since the 2021 coup, which derailed a transition to democracy.
Both claim to be in control of
key sites, including the airport and the presidential palace — none of which
could be independently verified.
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