A powerful paramilitary force battling the army was branded a rebel group by Sudan’s army chief on Monday. A deadly power struggle has derailed a shift to civilian rule in Sudan and has led to calls from the United Nations to stop fighting and raised fears of a wider conflict.
The conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has killed at least 97 civilians and 45 soldiers, according to a medics’ group. A UN envoy has put the death toll at over 180.
Both sides claimed on Monday that they had made gains as smoke hung over the capital Khartoum. People reported that airstrikes, artillery fire and shooting have cut off basic services and damaged hospitals in a city that is unused to violence.
Videos and photos from the international airport being aired on television showed a raging fire with plumes of black smoke. Satellite images showed several planes damaged by the strikes.
The Khartoum violence and in nearby cities of Omdurman and Bahri since Saturday is the worst in decades. There is risk of Sudan being torn between two military factions that once shared power during a rocky political transition.
Army Chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan currently heads a ruling council installed after a 2021 coup and the 2019 ousting of veteran leader Omar Bashir during mass protests. RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, is his deputy.
An internationally backed transition plan mandated that the RSF will merge with the army. But Burhan on Monday ordered the group to be dissolved as the two sides exchanged bitter accusations.
Burhan told Sky News that he was secure in a presidential guesthouse within the defence ministry compound and that his goal was to defeat the RSF. However, he did not rule out some form of negotiation.
“Every war ends at the negotiation table even if the opponent is defeated”, Burhan said.
Meanwhile, RSF leader Hemedti, who currently is in an undisclosed location, called for the international community to take action against what he called Burhan’s crimes. In a tweet, he called the army chief “a radical Islamist who is bombing civilians from the air”.
If the violence continues to escalate, it could destabilise a volatile region and play into competition for influence there between Russia and the United States, among other regional powers.
Egypt has been wary of political change in Khartoum and is the biggest backer of Sudan’s armed forces. Hemedti has cultivated ties with several foreign powers including the United Arab Emirates and Russia.
The situation didn’t seem to be calming down on Monday as neither side was willing to back down. While the army is larger and has air power, the RSF is widely deployed inside neighbourhoods of Khartoum and other cities, making it hard for either side to secure a quick victory.
(With inputs from agencies)
You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.
